Of Destiny, Courage, and Power
by Mother of Porgs
Summary: Sixteen years after the Invasion of Twilight, a teenage girl begins her own adventure. It is a whirlwind of revolution, magic, questions of good and evil, connecting with her long-lost father, and forming an unlikely partnership in order to save Hyrule from peril - but as she walks along the edge of darkness to do this, she risks being consumed by it.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hi everyone! I hope something good happened to you today.

The story I'm writing here is a concept that has been bouncing through my head over the past eight years or so. I've thought on it and written it before, and literally cringed when I rediscovered my old version of the story, and ... yeah. I don't wanna talk about it. But I still liked the concept, so I've decided to take another stab at it.

As usual, constructive criticism is appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

Resurrected, without cease, just as his god had promised him. With one problem, though: his mind and soul may be intact, but thanks to his enemies his body was no more.

When he felt himself live again, Zant's first thoughts were of destroying his enemies: Midna, the insolent princess who stole the right to rule from him, and her sword-wielding dog from the world of light. The two of them were probably on their way to face his master that very moment … How could he come to the aid of his lord and master, when he no longer had a corporeal form? Surely his master would create a new one for him ….

The empty, dark void that he thought he would occupy for eternity vanished, and before him Zant saw the throne room of Hyrule Castle. He sat on the throne, looking forward to see _them_ – Midna and Link – approaching him.

"Welcome to my castle." It wasn't Link or Midna who spoke, or even Princess Zelda. Zant looked to see the body he occupied, and it wasn't his. This person, in who he currently resided … this had to be his master.

"So you're … Ganondorf," Midna said to him.

Zant listened and watched as Ganondorf and Midna traded barbs with one another, Link silently standing nearby (that insufferable boy had always been one of few words) with his sword brandished – oh how horribly it shone with the supposedly righteous light of this realms' gods!

 _Master, I am here with you … give me corporeal form … let me aid you … we can crush them …._

Ganondorf continued talking, bragging about how he fed off the suffering and hatred of the Twili people to grow strong again.

 ** _Zant in particular_. _What a convenient tool he made._**

He heard that statement, in Ganondorf's voice, as if he was thinking it. Could he hear his god's thoughts? And if so, what did he mean by that?

 _Master, hear me! Please!_

Either Ganondorf was not aware of Zant's presence, or he chose to ignore it. Either way, Zant watched helplessly as Ganondorf inhabited the body of Princess Zelda and tried to use her to kill Link, followed by a battle of beast against beast as Link and Ganondorf faced off, each in their respective beastly forms.

 _A tool? Was that all I was to him? That can't be true! We had a bond. HE CHOSE ME!_

 _Why do you forsake me? I AM HERE WITH YOU! HEAR ME!_

 _Perhaps you are waiting until you have defeated our enemies. I could help you, please grant me a new body …._

 _I devoted myself to you – mind, body, soul – everything. Only to be ignored like this? We could have established victory by now! GANONDORF! MY GOD! MY MASTER!_

 _… why …?_

Ganondorf stood in Hyrule Field, astride an armored horse, holding Midna's helmet high in the air for Link and Zelda to see. Witnessing the destruction of Hyrule Castle – and Midna – lifted Zant's spirits slightly. With her out of the way, he finally had his kingdom.

 ** _The Twili are so pathetic. Their own powerful ruler fell against me, and now both realms are mine. I shall join light and shadow together, eliminating the Twili and creating a new world of my own._**

 _Master? Master!_ Zant heard Ganondorf's voice again, even though he did not speak.

 _You promised me my kingdom! What kind of god breaks his promises?!_

 _Unless … you are no god!_

 _His power – the power given to him by the gods – the gods who rule over him – what is he without it?_

Zant found his thought process abruptly interrupted when Link plunged the Master Sword into Ganondorf, directly beneath the sternum. Ganondorf let out a bloodcurdling scream, then staggered to his feet, clearly dying but not ready to give up.

"Do not think this ends here … the history of light and shadow will be written in blood!"

Could Ganondorf see what Zant saw? Before him, Zant saw a light, with pulses of red radiating from the center, forming into a large golden triangle, shining and glowing while surrounded with a red aura. Zant could have sworn it called out to him, begging him to take it. The triangle drew closer and closer, until it completely enveloped him.

This had to be a trick of the light spirits, Zant thought, to present him with an irresistible-by-design object of light in order to get to him. But when the light subsided, he found himself directly facing Ganondorf. The scene before him, previously covered in twilit storm clouds, now existed in a bluish haze. Zant looked all around him, then down at his feet – his feet! In the same shoes! And his body, somewhat transparent, still dressed in the same robes as before. He reached his hands up to touch his face, to see if this was real, but he felt nothing ...

Neither Link nor Zelda reacted to his presence, so he assumed that they could not see him. Ganondorf did not seem to see Zant either; instead, he looked down at his left hand to see the mark of the Triforce fade away. He let out a desperate gasp. He must still be reforming, Zant thought, and he felt fuller and more alive with each passing second. A look down at his hands showed something that surprised him: the mark of the Triforce on the back of his right hand, with the topmost triangle glowing brightly.

 ** _Zant! You have taken what is mine. Return it to me._**

 _No, Ganondorf. It is yours no longer. What a disappointing god you turned out to be._

Zant swiftly snapped his neck to the side and watched as Ganondorf's eyes turned white, and then closed.

* * *

Now, with the mighty power Ganondorf once possessed, Zant could finally have what he wanted. In no time, his body would be fully restored and he could establish himself as king over both the light and shadow realms.

So he thought, until he went to the Arbiter's Grounds, looking to find the Mirror of Twilight, only to find it gone. Small pieces of glass and glimmering dust lay on the ground.

 _No._

He cried out in rage, stomped up and down, cursing Midna for destroying the Mirror and the gods of the world of light for stranding him.

Finally, he collapsed to his knees, pounding his fist on the ground in continuation of his crazed fit of rage. It wasn't right, or fair! How could he not be allowed to return to the Twilight Realm, his home? Did Link, Midna, and Zelda presume him to be dead? What was he to do?

Zant rested for a moment as his rage subsided slightly and a wave of despair overtook him.

"Ganondorf … you ruined me … may you rot in hell!" he spat, even though nobody else was around to hear him.

He looked up at the great black slab of stone, opposite of the pedestal where the Mirror used to stand, and thought of the remaining Twili. Midna probably sat herself on the throne again, feeling oh so confident about having won against him … she must be gloating to everyone about how powerful she was, how noble she was, how she saved them all from certain doom at his hands …. They all didn't realize that he wanted to save them from _her_. She's perfectly content with the status quo, he thought bitterly, letting the Twili live their destitute vapid lives as long as it benefitted her. Was he the only one who ever wanted more for himself?

He scooped up a handful of dirt and sand, catching bits of glimmering dust and a shard or two of glass. This was more evidence of Midna's arrogance, her belief that light and shadow could not permanently mix. If she would only open her mind, expand her horizons, tolerate other viewpoints, then it could be possible. He was _so close_ to proving it! Yet in the miniature shards that gleamed in the twilight, Zant saw something else: opportunity. His newfound power would surely aid him in rebuilding the Mirror of Twilight.

No matter how long it took, he would do it. As long as he lived and held the power bestowed upon mortals by the gods of the world of light, he would not stop until he had dominion over both of the realms. And his vengeance, too - he remembered that there were still two that lived in this realm who had a hand in ruining him … and he would make them pay.


	2. One

**A/N:** Quick note, I'm using the map of Hyrule from the Wii version of Twilight Princess.

* * *

 **ONE**

 _~ Kakariko Village, sixteen years after the destruction of the Mirror of Twilight ~_

Ketura unfolded her map and grabbed a stubby pencil off of her nightstand. Laying the map out on her bed, she found the cave she had just come from, south of Kakariko Village, and scribbled a note over a spot on the map where she had marked the cave: _10,_ an entry which joined various other numbers scribbled over the map in places corresponding to Eldin and southern Faron Provinces. She sighed, thinking of the disappointment that came with scouring that medium-sized cave and only finding one measly yellow Rupee. Yet the other day, she found the opening to another cave, and now she marked it on her map: it lay north of Kakariko Village, on the other side of the Bridge of Eldin.

She pulled the yellow Rupee out of her bag and took it to the chest of drawers along the wall next to her bed. Careful to avoid the splintered areas, she opened the bottom-most drawer and dug through the threadbare towels and tattered blankets until she found a pillowcase full of Rupees – that is, if full was defined by spare green Rupees, a Red Rupee, and three blue Rupees. She slipped the yellow one in with the others, covered up the pillowcase again, and closed the drawer.

With a sigh, she crossed back to her bed and sat down for a moment. Her eyes lingered on a framed pictograph on her nightstand, depicting her ten-year-old self with her mother. Ketura remembered the day the picture was taken, warm and sunny and breezy, and she remembered how her mother's green eyes twinkled that day. She looked over from the pictograph to the empty space across the room, where her mother's bed and wardrobe used to be, and suddenly she felt that aching void in her chest again. Three years later, she had accepted that her mother had gone from a living breathing person to a faint memory and a cold body in the town's graveyard, but every now and then the sheer feeling of emptiness and knowing that her mother was _gone_ hit her again.

After a moment of stillness, Ketura grabbed her map and bag off the floor and climbed the ladder down from the loft to the main area of the house. She folded up the map, stashed it in her bag, and fixed her brown hair into a braid before heading out. A brisk wind blew through Kakariko Village that day, leaving a slight chill in the autumn air. People went in and out from the massive three-story Malo Mart down the main street, which was decorated in garishly bright colors. Two of Ketura's classmates stood in front of the schoolhouse, each holding a cage containing a Cuccoo. A Goron woman kneeled at the side of the road, planting flowers in front of the houses of anyone who wanted them. Ketura recognized the flowers as Lilies of Eldin: white petals with red tips, medium-sized bulbs, and hardy enough to last the winter.

On her way down the main street, she noticed someone up ahead she had been hoping to talk to: a man with graying salt-and-pepper hair, a decent-sized belly, and a bushy mustache under his nose.

"Mr. Frye!" she called out to him.

Mr. Frye noticed Ketura and quickened his pace to reach her.

"Ah, young Miss Lykos, hello! How are you today?" Mr. Frye responded politely.

"I'm good, thanks. Visiting from Castle Town?" Ketura continued, noting the crisp shirt and waistcoat he sported.

"Yes indeed. I am finishing up the sale of the old Barnes property. I hear Mr. Barnes has disappeared, supposedly to join that rebellion that's stirred up so much trouble. Have you heard anything about that?" Mr. Frye leaned in closely and whispered the last two sentences to her.

"The rebellion, yes. Barnes joining them? First I heard about that," said Ketura. "But, um, anyway, I was hoping you could have time to meet? About selling my house? Like, an appointment to look it over and see how much it's worth."

"Dear girl, you want to sell your house?" Mr. Frye sounded flabbergasted. "Surely you're not that scrapped for money?"

"I'm fine for now, don't worry. It's just that in a couple of months I turn sixteen. And a few months after that, I'll be all done with school, and I can get out of here and go wherever I want!" Ketura explained.

"Looking to leave Kakariko, hmm? Well I'm sure you can find work in Castle Town, or study at the university if you can find someone to sponsor your education," said Mr. Frye as he stroked his mustache.

"I guess I could," agreed Ketura, even if she only did so verbally. In her mind, however, she imagined a more exotic and fascinating locale than Castle Town, even if she hadn't picked it out yet. The world was a vast place, after all.

"And are you sure you don't want to stay here, and wait for your father to return?" Mr. Frye pressed on. Ketura felt like she had been punched in the stomach.

"If my dad was going to come home … I think he would have already," she retorted. "But when can you meet?"

"I can come by tomorrow afternoon," Mr. Frye said, appearing a little guilty that he brought up Ketura's father.

"Sounds good! Thank you, Mr. Frye,"

"You're very welcome. Now, I must be on my way. Good day, young Miss Lykos."

* * *

She walked along the road to the Bridge of Eldin, scanning the surrounding area even though she didn't expect to see anything new since the last time she came this way. On the western horizon she could make out the small, faint shapes of houses and buildings that made up another town. To the east stood Castle Town and Hyrule Castle, whose reconstruction had only recently completed, and looming above the castle was a soaring tower, made of pristine white stone. She heard rumors about what that tower was supposed to be, but all she really knew was that it was ugly (in her opinion) and that a lot of Gorons died building it. Growing up, she saw far too many funeral processions from Castle Town through Kakariko up to Death Mountain.

Something new did grab her attention though: to her right, she saw a hole in the ground that was perhaps six feet deep and two feet wide. Another hole lay a few yards away from that one, and then another one … Eldin Field had to be littered with them, even though she had never seen them before. In the distance, on the eastern edge of the field, Ketura saw a group of four or five people digging. They were probably looking for treasure, she thought.

During the walk, Ketura thought about her father. Her mother had told her stories about him, and she always compared those stories that came from a childhood-friend-turned-wife to what she heard from her history lessons and townspeople who claimed to have actually seen him in action. While crossing the Bridge of Eldin, she thought of the supposed horseback battle and joust that took place on the bridge between her father and a leader of a gang of Bulbins. When she found the cave on her map and wound her way through thin tunnels with only the light of her lantern to guide her, she wondered how many caves he had gone through over the years – what if he found this one too, a long time ago?

So far, she was lucky. This cave was not home to any monsters. Previous ones had been, but usually they could be scared off by her waving around her lantern. In fact, she didn't find this cave particularly interesting at all. In the past she had seen monsters, flowers growing inside, even interesting stones that glowed with an eerie green light or had the Sheikah Eye of Truth engraved on them, but this one was just dark and full of rocks … so she thought, until she reached the end of the path and saw a small treasure chest. When she opened the chest, she found a purple Rupee.

A smile flashed across her face. Fifty Rupees could be a new item of clothing, or food, or finally getting that hole in the roof repaired. She pocketed the Rupee and turned to exit the cave.

The last streaks of orange and purple twilight now grazed the line where the land met the sky, with the darkness of night not far behind. A few stars twinkled in the east, surrounding the Tower. Ketura assumed that as long as she made it out of Eldin Field before it got completely dark, she would be fine. The nocturnal monsters of Hyrule Field were rumored to be nastier than the ones who roamed in the daytime, and she wanted to avoid them at all costs. The people who had been digging earlier were nowhere to be found, and she wished that they would at least be courteous enough to fill in the holes they dug.

Ketura, keeping her eyes fixed straight toward the gates of Kakariko Village, tried to go around these holes the best she could. Yet one did escape her attention, and she was not aware of its existence until her left foot landed inside, sending her both downward and flying forward. After her face met the ground, Ketura lay there for a split second before pushing herself up, dusting bits of dirt out of her hair and off her shirt. She pushed herself onto her knees next, glanced over to the hole that had undone her, and let out a gasp at what she saw.

A face – a human face – lay exposed in the hole. This person's eyes were milky white, their face covered in dirt, wide open mouth also filled with dirt, and all manners of bugs and worms crawling in and out of the nose. A millipede exited one nostril, did a U-turn, and entered the other nostril. Down in the hole next to the person's face was what Ketura first believed to be a Rupee; it was shaped like one, although it was a bit stouter than the ones she had seen and possessed, but it was also colorless and clear. Perhaps this person had been dead for some time, and they requested that their money be buried with them, and the shape and color of Rupees changed in that time? That was the only explanation she could think of, so even if it was a Rupee it probably wasn't good anymore.

Once she finally managed to look away, Ketura turned her eyes to the sky, trying to remember the prayer for the dead her mother had taught her – not that prayers ever did her mother any good – but with the sky growing darker and with no shovel in hand, she clasped her hands together and fixed her eyes on the face of the corpse in front of her.

"Great Gods … wait … great merciful Gods … Mighty Din and Fair Nayru and Noble Farore … um … this person's place of eternal rest has been defiled and their soul set free to be lost in the chaos of –" she paused. That's not it, she thought. She felt silly praying, but there wasn't much else to do for this person. She had botched it anyway, so who knew if they would even listen? Might as well go freestyle, she reasoned.

"Uh … I don't know all the words but … heal this person's soul? Let them find rest and what they're looking for in the afterlife? Bring them back from the dead if you see it fitting?"

Immediately the clear crystal stone began glowing brightly, emitting a pulsing red light for a few moments until it grew dim again.

"Um … I guess you're all okay with me making it up?" Ketura said, sheepishly looking up at the sky. She couldn't think of any other explanation for the glowing Rupee-like gem. "Well, thank you, um, continue to bless people and be godlike. Yeah."

Ketura stood up, turned around and broke into a half-walk, half-jog. Somewhere behind her she heard the earth shift. She paused, listening to it, before it stopped. It was probably one of the field monsters of the night she heard so much about growing up, so she started moving again.

The moon made its appearance in the night sky, surrounded by stars. Ketura kept going, picking up the pace, and suddenly curiosity overtook her. People always talked about terrifying beasts occupying Hyrule at night, but she couldn't recall that anybody had ever seen one. There were no pictographs of any of them, soldiers on night patrols tended to deny seeing anything, and any civilian who went out to look for them usually came back in the morning with a tall tale that could easily be debunked. Here could be a chance to see one of these fabled monsters for herself, so as she continued to walk she turned her head back slightly to see behind her.

What she saw froze her dead in her tracks. It was a silhouette of a man: a large man who had to be at least six and a half feet tall but with his other features obscured by the dark of night, spitting out dirt and pulling a worm from his ear. The man surveyed his surroundings, mumbling to himself all the while, and then paused suddenly, presumably looking straight ahead right at her. Her mouth dropped open in shock and her heart started racing as soon as she made the connection.

Maybe she was just seeing things, she thought. Maybe this was what happened when she stayed up late into the night finishing a book and not getting enough sleep. There was no way, she thought, it wasn't possible–

"Who are you?" the man asked her. His voice was deeper than any she had heard.

Ketura still gawked at him, tensing up as he took a step closer to her.

"I asked you who you are," he repeated, sounding slightly more intimidating.

"I- I- uh, I don't understand," she stammered. "How –"

"You know how. You just made it happen. Now I want to know who you are and why you brought me back."

What was he going to do to her, she wondered as she stared at him, utterly speechless. He was advancing on her, taking slow steps forward. Did he really think she did this on purpose? Or that it was her at all? There was no way this could be happening.

"I – I – ah –" Ketura turned towards the village, sprinting for her life.


	3. Two

**TWO**

With her windows shuttered and her front door locked, Ketura curled herself up in the armchair by the house's fireplace, her eyes fixed on the door and a sword in hand. This sword had long hung over the fireplace mantle, and it had supposedly belonged to her father. She kept her breaths shallow and quiet, quiet enough to let the sound of her pounding heartbeat fill her ears.

Maybe he didn't see where she went, she thought, or maybe he didn't even follow her. Perhaps she overreacted … then the image of that man's face in the dirt, white eyes and worm-infested, re-entered her mind's eye. She tried to push it out, but it wouldn't leave, no matter how hard she tried to think of something else.

Pounding on the door.

Ketura froze. She stared at the door, not moving, holding her breath, tightening her grip on the sword's hilt.

More pounding. For all she knew it could be her next-door neighbor asking to borrow some sugar again ... but the neighbor would immediately let Ketura know it was her, and not stand there quietly for a few tense seconds after knocking.

She expected the person outside to knock again, but instead they spoke.

"I don't want to hurt you. I just want to talk."

It was him, she realized. She took a moment to ponder her next move: to talk to him or not? He could be completely harmless, having died unexpectedly out in the field; he could also be lying, and a criminal bent on hurting her. He did seem interested in how and why she resurrected him, and there was no telling how he would react to being told that it was all accidental. Part of her didn't want to risk anything; the easy thing seemed to be to just sit there silently and wait for him to go away. Another part of her felt that she had an obligation to help him get wherever he needed to go now that he had rejoined the land of the living, even if it was by accident.

"I know you're inside, girl. All I desire is that you answer my questions."

"All right then!" Ketura replied, her voice shaking. Sword in hand, she got out of the chair and walked to the front door, unlocked it, and opened it.

In the light cast from her fireplace, she could see his features more clearly now. The man was easily two heads taller than her, and he had a thin layer of dirt still crusted onto his dark skin and clothing and in his fiery red hair, which had half-fallen out of some sort of elaborate hairstyle and fell to his shoulders.

Ketura raised her sword slightly, as if to warn him.

"Put that down before you hurt yourself," he said before inserting two fingers into his right ear and pulling out a long, slender worm. He looked at it with some disdain and threw it onto the ground behind him. "I wonder how long I'll be picking those out of me."

"How long have you been dead?" asked Ketura, grimacing as she watched him pull a spider out of his left nostril.

"I don't know; you tell me," he retorted. He looked past Ketura into the inside of her house. "Mind if I come in briefly?" he asked her, glancing at the sword.

"Um, sure, but please don't leave bugs everywhere," she said before stepping out of his way to let him enter. He took a few steps into the house, then paused, letting out a gasp.

"There, of all places," he muttered irately, moving his giant hand towards the area of his groin, but ultimately pulling his hand away. He spun around to face Ketura, his face still twisted at the discomfort of a small creature emerging from whichever private area of his body it had just emerged.

"Who are you?" Ketura asked him. This man looked like he was Gerudo, which would explain why he had been buried in the middle of the field in an unmarked shallow grave, especially if Hylian soldiers had been the one who put him there. She noticed the fabric of his clothes had been ripped open in several places, including a large gape in the chest and sternum areas. "I'm not like other Hylians. I'm not going to give you a hard time just because you're a Gerudo – you _are_ a Gerudo, right?"

"Yes, I am," he said, followed by a pause.

"Well … I'm sorry you got murdered? I guess that's what happened, judging by –" Ketura pointed to his chest, indicating the torn fabric. She noticed a large patch of scar tissue on his skin there. "And I'm sorry for freaking out and running ... you're probably confused ... do you have family I can help you find?"

He smirked. "Seeing someone rise from the dead is not a common occurrence, I will admit. I could have been a ReDead, after all ... but no. I have no family."

"Do you have anyone in the world? At all?" she continued.

"Regrettably, I did not make many friends in my previous life," he answered.

"Hmm ... well maybe we can find some Gerudo for you to live with? There aren't very many left in Hyrule, but if we go far enough into the desert we might find them. They might enjoy having another man around." Ketura suggested.

The man sighed. "If only it were that simple. After a few centuries, I am sure I am a very polarizing figure among the Gerudo people."

"A few _centuries?"_ Ketura asked, perplexed. Sure, she had read stories about Gerudo twin sisters who were witches that made it to four hundred (or three hundred and ninety-eight - the accounts all varied in this detail) but she thought that Gerudo on average had the same lifespan as Hylians did. Maybe this man was skilled with magic too, and there was no telling how old he truly was. She then wondered what he could have done to perhaps be polarizing ...

Her mouth gaped open in shock. Of all the people she had to bring back from the dead by accident ….

"You're … Ganondorf? Wait- wha- Oh sweet Farore," she gasped, taking a couple of steps back. When he matched her movements by coming forward, she raised her sword to him again.

"I told you to put that down, silly girl," he rested a hand on the tip of the blade and gently pushed it downward. "And like I said, I don't want to hurt you. I want to know why you brought me back to life."

"But- are you - really - you know - _him_?" This had to be the top contender for the weirdest day of her life so far, she thought. If this was Ganondorf, _the_ Ganondorf, then she needed to get him out of her home. Or try to kill him and make sure he stayed dead this time around. She wanted to kick herself for even letting him inside the house.

He nodded in affirmation.

"It was an accident!" Ketura blurted out. "You- you should be a skeleton! How did you not decompose already?"

Be brave, she told herself. That is what her father would have done, and what he would want her to do now.

Ganondorf pulled something out his pocket, a clear crystal gem that resembled a Rupee. "Do you recognize this?" he asked, holding it out for Ketura to see.

"No, I don't know what that is," she stated.

"This is a Baetha Stone, one of the rarest substances in the world. My people use its abilities to resurrect the dead, and it is _quite_ thorough-" he looked at it, a sly grin breaking across his face, "there are those who practice the old ways, and they want me alive."

"Well, I guess they're out there somewhere," said Ketura matter-of-factly, hoping he would take the hint and leave. She recalled the people digging in the field earlier that afternoon; had they stumbled upon him, or were they looking for him?

"Yet you were alone in the field … why did they abandon me, and when did you find me?" Ganondorf did not sound threatening at all, which put Ketura off slightly.

"I found your face half-uncovered, and that stone there nearby. And I … my mom taught me all these prayers, and there was one for the desecrated dead I tried to remember, but I completely messed it up –"

"And the Baetha stone reacted. I see," said Ganondorf. He stepped past Ketura, towards the fireplace. On the mantle sat a framed picture, of a young man and a young woman, standing with a goat between them. Ketura watched apprehensively as Ganondorf studied the people in the picture, the young man in particular.

"When was the last time you saw your father?" he inquired.

"My dad? I, uh, never knew him," replied Ketura. "He left a little after I was born, to go on a mission for the Princess, and he never came back. And my mom – she died a couple of years ago."

"So you don't know where your father is?"

"No," said Ketura firmly. "And even if I did I wouldn't tell you." She could only assume that Ganondorf's interest in her father was far from benign.

Ganondorf turned back to Ketura. "Of course you wouldn't," he said, staring deep into Ketura's eyes. Ketura took a step back and tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword – she would try to fight him if it came to that, but she mostly felt like shrinking, disappearing, whatever it took to get away from him.

"I believe I have overstayed my welcome," said Ganondorf as he took steps to the front door of the house. "And there is some small creature writing around in a most uncomfortable spot, and I will honor your request to not leave any of them lying on your floor."

"You can't leave. I won't let you! Not if you're going after my dad!" Ketura blurted out, jumping in front of him, sword raised.

Ganondorf chuckled. "Go ahead, then. Demonstrate how little you know about using a sword …" there was a brief pause. "No? Then I will be on my way … it's uncanny, you have his eyes."

Taken aback by his comment, Ketura stood idle as Ganondorf stepped around her to access the front door and exited through it. As she watched him disappear into the shadows of the night, she began berating herself. How could she let him walk away like that, without putting up more of a fight to try and stop him? Sure, she didn't know how to use a sword, and he was much bigger and more powerful than she was, and he probably could have easily crushed her, but she should have at least made an attempt, right? Now if he went out and did something terrible, it would be her fault.

She couldn't let that happen, she decided. Ketura bounded across the living area to the fireplace, where the picture of the young man and woman with a goat still rested. It was the only picture she had of her parents together, looking reasonably happy. She studied the young man's face, trying to visualize what he would look like in his early thirties, ragged and worn from fifteen years' worth of battles. But his eyes would be like hers, big and blue; that was something time wouldn't change.

After she got a solid idea in her head, Ketura grabbed her bag and began packing it with supplies. She set it on the armchair next to the fireplace, ready to grab and go in the morning for a quick trip to Castle Town. Princess Zelda would surely be the one person in Hyrule who knew what had become of Link Lykos of Ordon, the Hero who saved Hyrule from evil and eternal Twilight.


	4. Three

**THREE**

Ketura's house consisted of one large living area, a small kitchen area underneath the loft where her bed sat, and a hole the size of her fist in the roof. The fireplace was along the wall opposite of the kitchen, with the fraying old armchair situated nearby. A bookshelf sat near the fireplace, where Ketura kept the books she had collected through her life; she had read them all several times over, even the ones she didn't like as much just for the sake of having something to read.

Wearing her best tunic – pale blue, with scrolling patterns embroidered around the sleeve cuffs, neckline, and hem – and her sturdiest pair of boots, Ketura climbed down the ladder that took her from her bedroom to the living area. She started for the kitchen for some quick breakfast when she heard a fast rap on the door.

"Ketura Lykos?"

She sighed in relief that it wasn't Ganondorf, but she still did not recognize who was on the other end until she opened the door to see. It was a Hylian soldier, a tall man wearing the gray uniform with the Royal Triforce Insignia on the breastplate, and wearing a sword on his belt. Three other soldiers in similar uniform accompanied, standing behind him.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked innocently, a lump in her throat. This had to be about Ganondorf. They found him, and he mentioned a girl in Kakariko Village – in the scenario that played out in her head, at least.

"Would you please accompany us to Castle Town? Princess Zelda would like to meet with you and ask you some questions."

"Of course," said Ketura, still fearing that this was about Ganondorf. "Just let me grab my bag, and I will be ready to go." It was a long shot, but hopefully she would be back in time to meet with Mr. Frye for the inspection of her house.

* * *

Kakariko Village as Ketura knew it was a sleepy town where very little happened; it was uncommon to see more than fifty people out on the main road on an average day, with the exception of an occasional funeral procession of Gorons carrying their dead from outside the village up Death Mountain. Castle Town, however, seemed to be swamped with people, moving in each direction, crashing into each other, having somewhere to be in a hurry or nowhere to be in particular and in no rush to get there, and making lots of noise as they did so. Groups of soldiers, like the one escorting her, pushed their way through the crowds as they went on their patrols and routes – not so much push, as Ketura soon realized, but more likely the people moved out of their way.

With all of the people milling about and buildings on all sides, the streets felt cramped. The town square felt considerably more open, even though it too was filled with throngs of people. Ketura saw children playing, a young man painting the fountain in the middle of the square, men in long white robes preaching aimlessly to passerby, and a musician sitting next to the fountain, playing an ocarina and collecting Rupees from passerby who had any to spare. One of the stores along the square caught her eye instantly: a five story Malo Mart, decked out in bright garish colors and the store's jingle blaring from a gramophone stationed outside the front entrance.

As soon as it came into view, Ketura immediately turned her attention to Hyrule Castle: compact yet majestic, made of white and blue stone, with many towers and spires and a statue of the Triforce positioned atop the tallest tower. The giant Tower loomed over the castle and the city, piercing the sky.

"So … what is that tower for, anyway?" Ketura asked the soldier walking next to her. She had two soldiers on either side of her, one in front, and one in the rear.

"It's part-temple, part-elite training ground," explained the soldier.

"His Honorable Daphnes, the Duke of Lanayru and soon-to-be Prince Escort to Her Majesty, says the Gods gave him a vision instructing him to build it. He obviously convinced Her Majesty that the Gods did indeed speak to him," said the soldier on Ketura's other side.

"Only the best of the best are invited to train in the Tower," piped up the soldier behind Ketura.

"Nobody has completed the course yet, though," added the soldier in the front.

The soldiers continued talking about the Tower, saying something about someone named Deuzhan and whether or not he was interested in training there, but Ketura stopped paying attention to them when out of the corner of her eye she saw a black cloak disappear into an alley up ahead. When the alley came up, she quickly glanced down that way, only to see nothing of interest and her curiosity unsatisfied.

"What is it?" The soldier on her left asked.

"Nothing … just thought I saw something, that's all," said Ketura.

"Maybe you saw someone dart into that alley, running away from us?" suggested the front soldier. "Just a stray cat, most likely."

"Probably more of those 'Liberators,'" said the hind soldier, using a mocking tone as he said 'Liberators.'

"Who are they? The rebellion?" Ketura asked.

"That'd be them. Dumb ne'er-do-wells is what they are."

Soon, the party stepped onto the castle grounds, a well-manicured green lawn populated with gardens of flowers and bushes of many sizes, shapes, and colors, connected by walkways constructed of the finest white stone. Ketura wondered how, with all the people who must walk on these walkways, the stones stayed so white. She saw well-dressed men and women walking through the gardens and along the paths, and she assumed they must be members of the royal court. In particular, she noticed their posture: standing straight up as a board, taking even and measured steps. Ketura straightened her own back, feeling ridiculous but hoping she looked more dignified. The bits and pieces of conversation she overheard were about some count's party, and how tiresome it was to pretend to like that count. Rich people had the weirdest problems, she thought.

The soldiers led her into the castle, whose front doors led into a large open hall. Red-and-gold rugs on the floor stopped at the center, where a grand mosaic of the Triforce adorned the floor, created with stone that seemed to glow faintly. Standing over the mosaic, on a raised platform, was a statue of the Hero of Time, dressed in his legendary garb and holding the Master Sword high above his head as he looked onward with an expression of stony determination.

Ketura followed the soldiers up a set of stairs, past the statue and portraits of the royal family hanging on the walls, to the second floor of the hall. She saw two men, one large and burly and the other one small and elderly, whispering among themselves.

"Ministers Senza and Mako," the front soldier addressed the two men, who jumped at being startled but otherwise instantly snapped to attention. "Is Her Majesty in her office?"

"Yes she is," said the smaller man, adjusting his round-lensed glasses that appeared too big for his face.

"She did not seem to want to be disturbed, except for a certain person she is expecting," added the larger man as he stroked his black goatee.

"That is where we come in," said the soldier. He stepped forward and softly knocked on the door. Ketura heard a woman's voice ask who it was, and the soldier replied "Ketura Lykos is here to see you, Your Grace."

"Send her in," Zelda's muffled voice rang from the other side of the door.

Heart pounding, Ketura approached the door, opened it softly, and stepped inside.

Princess Zelda stood at her desk, looking regal and ethereal in a flowing blue gown. She wore gold and jewels in bracelets and rings, and a pendant the size of a fist. Her dark blonde hair fell freely around her face and shoulders, tucked behind her ears and shining in the sunlight that poured through the bay windows behind her desk.

"Your Grace," muttered Ketura as she fell into a bow.

"Welcome, young Ketura," said Zelda, her voice exuding calmness. "Please, rise."

Ketura stood up, letting her eyes make contact with Zelda's pale blue ones.

"You sent for me, Your Grace?"

Zelda smirked. "Right to business, I see. It must have been quite the journey from Kakariko Village to Castle Town. Would you not like a refreshment first?" She gestured to her desk, where a plate of pastries and a steaming teapot sat next to two empty teacups.

"Ah, uh, yes. I would, thank you."

"Very well. Please, have a seat." Zelda began pouring tea into the teacups, and Ketura sat down in the smaller of the two chairs at the desk. She felt slightly wrong, sitting down before the Princess did, but justified it to herself that she did so because she was asked to. When Zelda passed her a cup, Ketura said "Thank you, Your Grace."

"Of course. And please, help yourself to these pastries here," said Zelda, gesturing to the plate of pastries. Ketura reached out and grabbed a square pastry that was coated with spices and a glaze. When she took a small bite, she tasted cinnamon, apples, and honey.

"Now, you must be wondering why I asked you here," said Zelda before taking a sip of her tea. Ketura's stomach lurched, and she felt like she was going to vomit out the small bit of pastry she just ate.

"I am, Your Grace," said Ketura as she mimicked the Princess in sipping her tea. It was a black tea, with a hint of citrus and herbs. She straightened her back as straight as she could until she felt foolish and uncomfortable. It felt unreal, being at Hyrule Castle in the Princess's office sipping on royal tea and eating royal pastries, especially after waking up in a house that she could never keep clean or its roof hole-free. Ketura wondered if the rich court people whining about going to a party knew how good they had it.

"When was the last time you saw your father?" Zelda asked pointedly.

Ketura froze briefly; she was not expecting that question at all.

"I don't really remember him. He left when I was a baby, to go carry out a mission for you, and he never returned. Why do you ask?"

"Oh I see … your mother never told you what happened," commented Zelda, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Why, what happened?"

"Your father was a great man, Ketura, but on that particular mission he failed. Not only did he fail, but he disappointed me and betrayed me in the worst way possible. I had no choice but to imprison him."

"He's in prison?!" Ketura blurted out, but then covered her mouth. "Forgive me," she muttered.

"Yes, he _was_ , but only a few days ago he escaped, and we believe he had outside assistance doing so. Since you just now found out about it, I can rule you out as a possible suspect. But he has not come to your house since then?"

"No, Your Grace," said Ketura, still trying to wrap her head around what Zelda had just told her. What could have led her father, who was supposed to be Hyrule's Hero of this era, to turn his back on his country and his Princess? Telling Zelda about Ganondorf completely escaped her mind.

"Well then. I will assign guards to stand watch at your house, in case he decides to pay you a visit. And if you see him, or any other suspicious activity, I trust you will inform an authority?"

"Yes I will, Your Grace," responded Ketura automatically.

Someone outside knocked on the door. "Who is it?" asked Zelda.

"It is me, Captain Sparks," answered a gruff-sounding man.

"Come in," said Zelda.

A muscular man in the Hylian soldier uniform stepped inside, bowed quickly to Zelda, then spoke. "The prisoners are not responding to the latest round of interrogation, Your Grace," he said hastily.

"Then press them harder," said Zelda before taking another drink of her tea. Ketura listened to their conversation, taking the time to eat her pastry.

"One of them tried to hex me – I don't know how she got her hands on a Green Potion, but she did, because I can assure you we drained each of their magical capabilities when we arrested them –"

"Drain her again and keep all restorative items out of their reach. Good Nayru in the heavens, Captain, do you have complete neophytes running your operation down in the interrogation chambers? I will come interrogate these cult members myself if I must –" Zelda's face froze when she noticed Ketura was still in the room.

"Thank you, Captain."

Captain Sparks bowed again and left the room. After a short, tense silence, Zelda looked at Ketura.

"You may as well know since I mentioned it in front of you. Can you keep a secret, young one?" the Princess asked, her tone grave.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"I fear dangerous times are ahead for Hyrule. These prisoners Captain Sparks mentioned are Gerudo scum, members of the Cult of Dragmire. We arrested them out in Eldin Field, when we saw them in possession of Baetha stones and digging a hole in the ground. I can only assume they were attempting to resurrect Ganondorf. It is a good thing we caught them when we did. My army is too busy trying to quell a rebellion, and I don't need to deal with Ganondorf on top of that."

Ketura sighed. "Um, Your Grace, there is something I would like you to know," she said, her chest tightening as she spoke.

"Yes, Ket- _aah!_ " Zelda dropped her teacup on the floor and she let her head fall into her hands.

"Your Grace, are you all right?" Ketura asked, watching as Zelda's face twisted up in pain and she clenched her teeth.

Zelda groaned. "I have the most terrible headache … forgive me, Ketura, but I must go rest. The guards who brought you will escort you home."

Looking upon the Princess with concern, Ketura stood up and did a half-bow. "Thank you, Your Grace. May you feel better soon."

* * *

"That's what, her third one this month?" a soldier said in regards to Zelda's sudden headache.

On the way out of the castle grounds, one of the soldiers handed Ketura a map showing a few blocks of the north side of Castle Town, with a red dot on top of a square that represented a building.

"We can't take you home just yet," said the soldier. "Something's happening on the East Road, and we need to go check it out. This building is my house; knock on the door, tell the woman there that Ray sent you – she's my wife, by the way. She'll let you in and let you stay until we come back to get you. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. But maybe I can-" Ketura was cut off by Ray.

"Good girl. We'll see you in a bit!" The guards each nodded towards Ketura and quickly marched off to the West Road. Ketura walked further into the town, then leaned against the side of a house to study the map that the soldier named Ray had given her.

However, the map didn't make any sense to her, if only because she didn't give it her full attention. Her mind was preoccupied with replaying her conversation with Princess Zelda, wondering what exactly her father had done, understanding why her mother had never said anything about him being imprisoned, and thinking about how Zelda would react once she discovered Ganondorf was alive. She asked herself if she even wanted to go home, if there would be armed guards there and the chance she could see her father – and then see him arrested again. It didn't matter if he had become a traitor or not, she still wanted to find him.

For now though, she decided she ought to at least touch base with Ray's wife and let her know that she was going to return to Hyrule Castle for a little while. Ketura focused harder on the map, studying it to see that from the road leading to the castle she needed to turn left onto North Road – which was only six houses down - and then go three blocks to find Ray's house. She started out, passing the first house, when someone grabbed her arm and yanked her into an alley.


	5. Four

**FOUR**

The instant Ketura opened her mouth to cry out, her assailant clasped a giant hand over her mouth. She found herself pinned against a cold stone wall by a person wearing a black cloak. This person towered over her, yet stooping down enough so that only a few inches of air separated their faces.

"What did Zelda want?" the hooded person asked, moving their hand from Ketura's mouth. Ketura took this moment to attempt escape, shimmying to the side, only to be grabbed at her shoulders and held in place against the wall.

"Who are you – wait …." Ketura paused when she registered where she had heard this person's voice before. "You! Are you following me?" She struggled some, although her efforts were yet again unsuccessful.

After a quick glance towards the street, Ganondorf lowered his hood. "I saw you being escorted to the castle, to speak to the Princess, and I was curious."

"Wha- you _are_ following me! Wha- why?" She winced at the pain of his thumbs digging into her shoulders.

Ganondorf didn't answer her.

"It wasn't about you, if that's what you're wondering. It was about–" she stopped talking, contemplating the wisdom of going on.

"About _what?_ " Ganondorf said, trying to get Ketura to continue.

She sighed. "I'm not telling you. Bu-but there will be armed guards at my house now, so if you decide to follow me home too then you'll pretty much be letting the world know you're alive again. Unless that's what you want, of course. I don't know. I'm of absolutely no use to you so you might as well let me go."

Ganondorf chortled, and relaxed his grip on Ketura. "You are right, you are of no immediate use to me." He pulled his hands away and took a step back. "Unless you can tell me where to find the one called Zant, or if you know who originally tried to raise me from the dead and why."

"I've never heard of a Zant," said Ketura, hoping by establishing a truth she could get away with lying to him. She sidled along the wall and backed away to put some distance between herself and him. "And I know as much as I did last night about the people who … uh … yeah."

A brief, tense silence passed.

"Do you even want to be alive again?" Ketura asked him.

"I certainly don't mind it," he answered.

"Are you going to try and destroy Hyrule again?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Ganondorf said "I never wanted to destroy anything, just claim what is rightfully mine …."

Ketura nodded slowly, and considered that he had a side to the story that history neglected to tell. She decided to not press the issue further, and glanced over to the main road.

"If you, um, don't mind, I'll be on my way," she said, stepping towards the street.

"Going home to those guards?" joked Ganondorf.

Ketura did not respond. She turned her back to him and walked a couple of steps before Ganondorf spoke again.

"I never learned your name, girl."

She stopped for a brief moment, her breath caught in her chest. It struck her as odd that he wanted to know her name, but she couldn't quite figure out why it was odd ... or why he even wanted to know. Perhaps he was lying to her about how useful she was to him. Instead of saying anything or turning back to face him, she scurried away as fast as her feet could take her.

* * *

He was on the loose, plotting _something_ , and alone Ketura was powerless to stop it. Her feet took her back up the road leading to the castle, and she didn't even think of the soldier named Ray or how she was supposed to wait for him with his wife. To her, going back to speak to Princess Zelda was her best bet: to both inform her that Ganondorf was alive … and then to snoop around to see if she could find any clues about where her father could have gone. It wouldn't be the greatest news to hear after recovering from a headache, though.

She walked briskly, teetering on the edge of a jog, up the clean white walkway leading to the front door of the castle. She was halfway there when the ground shook violently and a giant _BOOM_ sounded off directly above her. After stumbling some, Ketura looked up to see a cloud of smoke and fire shoot out from the side of one of the castle's towers. In the background of the ringing in her ears, she heard muffled screams and shouts.

Someone grabbed her under the arm: a Hylian soldier. He pointed to the road back into town and yelled "Go!" before throwing her into the forming crowd of people that had taken it upon themselves to evacuate the castle grounds. Even as the crowd pushed her along into the city, she kept her gaze fixed on the castle, and the pillars of smoke rising from the giant hole in the attacked tower.

Once in the town square, Ketura separated herself from the crowd she had come out with and stood to the side as soldiers rushed from various corners of the town to the castle grounds; a few stayed at the entrance of Castle Road, perhaps to prevent any civilians from going in. Other townspeople who had been going about their day stopped to see what had happened; they spoke amongst themselves in hushed tones and whispers, creating a tense and uncomfortable buzz in the air.

"DOWN WITH THE NOHANSENS!" someone behind Ketura cried out. She turned to the fountain to find someone standing atop it, dressed in midnight blue with a hood over their head and a gray mask over their face. A bright red symbol was embroidered onto the chest of this person's tunic: an upside-down Triforce crest inscribed in a circle. More people emerged from the crowd, wearing the same outfit and matching mask, and stood around the fountain facing the townspeople. Some of them had the same symbol on their clothing, while others sported the Sheikah Eye of Truth, or a crescent moon and star, or some other symbol that she did not recognize.

"For too long have the people of Hyrule have been oppressed and subjugated by those who call themselves _King,_ or _Queen_ , or _Princess_. Under the rule of Zelda the Eleventh, the outdated concept of monarchy is reaching its natural conclusion! Our system exists to serve an elite few at the expense of others! Do you not think that as a citizen of this great land you should have a say in how it is governed, rather than letting someone else do it for you, who may not even have your best interests at heart?"

People in the crowd muttered among themselves or even shouted out in agreement.

"Taxes have gone up, but instead of using the money to help the people it was used in a monstrous vanity project!" The speaker proclaimed as they pointed towards the Tower. "Other rulers allowed you to freely worship any God you chose in any manner fitting to you, but not this regime! Not since she and her fiancé Lord Daphnes climbed into bed with the Apostles of the Divine Trinity! Have none of you questioned the disappearance of the Zoras, or the near-extinction of the Gorons? What they call purifying Hylian culture and national identity, we call genocide!"

Ketura heard angry shouts from the people around her.

"What happened to the Zoras?"

"Rebuild the Temple of Hylia!"

"You speak blasphemy against the Gods!"

"Guards! Arrest these hoodlums!"

The masked speaker atop the fountain resumed speaking. "And what's more – our great Hero, Link of Ordon, saw Princess Zelda for who she truly is. His reward was prison! But today he is free! And he joins us Liberators in our quest to save Hyrule and give power back to her people!"

People in the crowd began shouting again.

"Down with the Princess!"

"Traitors!"

"Link is the Peoples' Hero!"

"Show your face, coward!"

"Guards!"

The speaker mentioned Link … Ketura wondered if her father was with these Liberators now.

"Even now we work to free another wrongfully imprisoned by Princess Zelda!" The masked speaker gestured towards the castle, where a second explosion billowed out from another tower and let off another resounding _BOOM_. The ground shook and people screamed.

"So join us, my brothers and sisters, and help –" An arrow came out of nowhere, striking the speaker in their heart. The speaker wobbled for a bit, then fell face first into the fountain, turning the water red with blood.

The crowd fell into a frenzy as people scrambled to run away. Ketura looked in the direction that the arrow came from to see a Hylian soldier standing some distance away with a longbow in hand and held up as if he just used it.

A dozen soldiers converged on the fountain, working their way through the throngs of people escaping the square. The soldiers stared down the other masked people, who now assumed defensive stances in preparation for a fight. Ketura backed off, then ran away, ducking behind a crate outside a shopfront and poking her head up just enough to watch.

Some of the masked rebels used swords, others hand-to-hand combat, one threw daggers, and a couple of them used … magic? Ketura had never seen magic in action, but she found herself entranced by two people who looked as if they were dancing with swirls of light and color and fire and ice around them. The sorcerers released a stream of red, purple, and green magic, striking a soldier in the chest and knocking him flat on his back. He did not get up.

The fighting continued, with the soldiers dropping one by one and civilians fleeing the action as quickly as they could. Other civilians gave the battle a generous berth but stayed in the square to watch, cheerig on either the soldiers or the rebels. Ketura noticed some more people dressed in the same blue-and-masked getup coming from Hyrule Castle, with a large brown wolf running alongside them. As soon as the new group made it to the fountain, they joined the fight, with a strange crackling orange force field emanating from around the wolf's feet and growing until a group of soldiers stood within its perimeter; the wolf then pounced on each soldier in rapid succession, knocking them to the ground with bite or scratch marks on their face or chest. In groups of two or three the rebels began to vanish in puffs of gray smoke, leaving no trace behind that they were even there besides the injured and dead Hylian soldiers and the dead rebel still saturating the fountain's water with blood.

Some civilians still in the square shrieked in horror at the remaining scene. Another group of Hylian soldiers ran into the square, stopping to survey the sights before them and encouraging the civilians to go on home. "And if you see or hear of any other activity of these so-called 'Liberators,' report it at once! We must stop these radicals!" In response, two teenage boys walked up to that soldier, spat in his face, and said "Go shove your spear, you stooge! The Liberators will win!" Some soldiers converged on the boys, threw them onto the ground, shackled their hands behind their backs, and dragged them back to Hyrule Castle.

What idiots, Ketura thought of those boys. She sunk down and leaned back against the crate which she hid behind, wondering what she should do next. A quick glance over to Hyrule Castle showed the roadway leading to the castle grounds to be lined with soldiers, one of which turned away a civilian who claimed to be going after her sons who were just arrested. She couldn't go back to Hyrule Castle, and she didn't see any point in going home. The guards at her house would probably treat her like a criminal because of her father. She wondered where he was just then, if he was one of the people in a mask or even the one in the fountain who had been shot down. Maybe he wasn't there at all, and instead was at the rebels' hideout – and she didn't have the slightest clue about how to start looking for it ….

She watched two soldiers hoist the dead rebel out of the fountain and unceremoniously toss the body onto the ground before removing the mask from their face. Something else then caught her eye: in a nearby alley she saw someone in a hood paint a circle on the wall of a shop in bright red, then painted the upside-down Triforce inside the circle. Recognizing the symbol, she sprung to her feet and walked as casually as she could over to the person doing the painting, relieved that a soldier didn't stop her or even notice her.

The person in the hood turned out to be a tall slender woman with frizzy red hair and freckles dotting her pale nose and cheeks. Ketura walked up to her and pointed to the symbol on the wall. "Are you with them?" she asked.

"Yeah," whispered the hooded woman.

"Where can I find them?"

The hooded woman glanced out towards the soldiers in the square. "Only the people who need to know where they are know where they are. All I know is that it's north of here somewhere. If you go now, you might be able to slip out of town before the soldiers lock it down."

"Okay," Ketura glanced at the soldiers as well, then looked past them to see that West Road was not too far from her. "Thanks." She turned around and broke into a jog, resisting the urge to run as long as the soldiers could possibly see her. Before turning fully onto the West Road, she looked back to the alley where she had spoken to that woman. The woman was gone, but the symbol on the wall remained, its wet paint glistening slightly. Underneath the symbol the woman had painted the words HYLIA WEEPS.


	6. Five

**FIVE**

As the sun set over Hyrule, Ketura found herself at the southern end of the Bridge of Eldin. She scanned the field, looking for a suitable place to make camp for the night, but its openness would leave her more exposed than she wanted to be. The nearest town between the Bridge and Kakariko Village was still a few hours' walk away, leaving her alone at night with no weapon and no way to light her path. This was poor planning, she thought, to not bring her lantern. She looked back towards the Bridge, and noticed the two watch towers flanking either side of it. Without a second thought, she ran up to one, found the door, and bounded up the spiraling stairs to the top of the tower.

Inside the watch tower she found a fire pit filled with old ash, a rusted metal lantern, dry brittle-looking bones littered around the fire pit, and a broken telescope. Cobwebs occupied the corners of the floor and ceiling, although there were no signs of Skulltula of any size. The place looked like it had not been occupied in years, so Ketura figured that as long as she kept hidden and quiet she could easily camp there for the night. She sat along the wall right next to the window that faced Eldin Field and slowly ate a sandwich she had packed as the last of the day's light faded away.

The rebels' hideout being north of Castle Town … that direction from the woman in the alley wasn't very helpful, so where was she to look for them? Ketura thought about how she could begin her search, coming up with options ranging from asking around in towns and villages in Lanayru Province to scouring every cave she could find to hiring a private investigator or bounty hunter with her meager savings. Then she remembered … she missed her appointment with Mr. Frye about selling the house. It wouldn't matter, though, if she could bring her father home.

* * *

Ketura sat in her armchair by the fireplace, reading a book, when someone knocked softly on the front door of her house. She got up and opened the door; instead of the usual scenery of Kakariko Village, she saw a sunny green field. Nobody stood in the doorway. She stepped outside and looked around, enjoying the gentle warmth of the sun on her skin. On the horizon she saw clouds gathering. The clouds grew more numerous and progressively darker, from white to a hazy orange to pitch black, and they spread further through the sky until they reached above her house. Lightning crackled through the air in giant bright jagged bolts, thunder sounded off in a mighty _boom_ , and the entire sky darkened. Then someone softly whispered her name ….

* * *

She never had a dream like that one before, so when she awoke from it she found herself perplexed at what had happened and what it could have meant. Maybe the dark clouds represented Ganondorf, she thought, while also being mildly surprised that he hadn't made another appearance in person as the night went on.

Sunlight streamed through the window next to her, and she glanced out the window quickly to see the sun hanging high in the eastern sky. She yawned before turning to grab her bag, which she had used as a pillow, but something in the corner of her eye caught her attention instead.

A wolf – a giant brown wolf – stood at the entrance to the room, just at the top of the staircase. Its fur was uneven: part shiny and clean-looking, part matted, part balding and patchy, and a long stretch of its spine was bore jagged scars. It didn't look at her with aggression or hunger, but with curiosity. Ketura remembered that a wolf ran from Castle Town with the rebels, yet she couldn't tell if this was the same one. It was odd, she thought, a wolf being here of all places.

"Hi there, wolf," said Ketura calmly as she rose to her feet. She made eye contact with the wolf and noticed something peculiar: the wolf's eyes, which were the exact same shade of blue as hers.

The wolf looked at Ketura silently for a moment, then reared its head back and let out a small bark. Its shadow moved, going in a circle around the wolf's body, not seeming to care about the position of the sun. Ketura found this strange, and then even stranger when something emerged out of the wolf's shadow, vaguely shaped like a child. With a small thin arm, the shadow being reached into the wolf's forehead and slowly pulled out a dark, glowing crystal. The wolf's face twisted as it felt the pain of having something removed from its head, and as soon as the crystal was out it hunched over, shrouded in some strange dark magic.

Ketura watched, bewildered, as the wolf turned into a man. The man got off all fours and stood on his feet, then faced her. His face was worn and pale with a scar across his left cheek, eyes sunken somewhat into his skull, his dirty blonde hair hung limply, and he wore a tattered pale gray shirt. There were raw rings of flesh circling his wrists, perhaps from chafing. Ketura also noticed the blue of his eyes, much like hers, and the glowing Triforce crest on the back of his left hand.

"…Dad?" Ketura felt like she had entered a dream, the dream she had repeated for as long as she could remember. Now that it was happening – was it happening? – it seemed so surreal. She would surely wake up any minute now back home in Kakariko because things like this only happened in dreams.

He nodded. "Hello, Ketura."

She gasped, then her face formed a cautious half-smile. "It's you – it's really you, oh my … you – you turn into a wolf? Nobody ever mentioned that! I- I mean- just- you're my dad and you transform into a wolf and you broke out of prison and you're really here now." Ketura took a step towards him, but then stopped. "I can't believe it! You're here and I finally get to meet you!"

"My little girl … I was starting to think I would never see you again," Link said quietly as he crossed the distance between them and took her face in between his hands. "You're not so little anymore, of course. When I last saw you, you were a tiny thing, just learned how to crawl. And you're all grown now. What is it, fourteen?" he asked, sounding unsure but grinning from ear to ear.

"Fifteen," Ketura chuckled, and then she thought of something. "How did you find me?"

"I, um, caught a scent off one of the books on the bookshelf in the house and followed it here. I wanted to find you to make sure you were safe. Where's your mother? Does she know where you are?"

Ketura hung her head, the smile disappearing from her face and her joyous feeling subsiding. "Mom died, Dad. She got really sick three years ago."

"Oh … I'm sorry to hear that," said Link as he pulled his hands away. Ketura looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, wondering why he didn't seem more saddened by the news of his wife's passing.

"But, um, Princess Zelda called me to meet her because you had escaped from prison, and she wanted to know if I had seen you."

"And you were at the rally, where you learned I was with the rebels?" inquired Link.

Ketura nodded. "I was going to find them so I could find you."

"Well here I am! Now we can take you back to the base with us."

" _We?"_ Ketura thought of the creature living in Link's shadow.

"Yup, Midna and me. Midna is a Twili, a being who has a difficult time dealing with the sunlight of our realm, so she lives in my shadow. She and I are old friends."

Link's shadow shifted, and the being emerged again and materialized into an imp-like girl with pale blue skin and scant black clothing. Her hair, long and tied back, glowed in bright neon shades of orange and yellow.

"That would be me!" she said, levitating in between the father and daughter. "I'm Midna, by the way." Midna floated around Ketura, inspecting every inch of her. "This is your daughter? She's adorable! I guess you can keep her."

Ketura chuckled nervously. "Thanks."

Midna floated back around so she faced Ketura dead front and center. "I'm really much more beautiful and powerful than the form I currently inhabit. When your father saw the real me the first time, I rendered him SPEECHLESS."

"Then why are you a … a … like this?" asked Ketura.

"Forces we thought we stopped the first time are loose again. His name is Zant, and he did _this_ –" Midna motioned to her body "- cursed me, and brought me back to your world as his prisoner. He was _scary_ powerful this time. My tribe's magic, the magic of this realm – all of it, much more than I had ever seen. That's probably how he created another path to my realm ..."

"Zant? Who's that?" Ketura recognized the name.

Midna scowled, then scrunched her eyes together as she floated further away from the window and the sunlight pouring through. "He keeps trying to steal my throne – ugh, the sun's starting to get to me. All of this light is dreadful. We can talk later, when it's dark." She floated back over to Link and jumped back into his shadow, calling out "See you later!" as she did.

"See you?" Ketura waved awkwardly in the direction of her father's shadow.

"She does that," said Link, smiling at his daughter again.

It was quiet for a moment, as the two just looked at each other. Ketura resisted the urge to give him a big hug, to make up for an entire childhood's worth of missed hugs, but she didn't know if he was the hugging type or not.

"Dad," she started, nervous about bringing up what she was about to bring up. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you in prison? I always thought you had left to go on an adventure."

"Ilia never told you, did she?" murmured Link. "When you were born the Princess had us move to Kakariko Village. She promised us monthly subsidies in addition to my income through honest work, as a reward for my heroism and to ensure the security of our bloodline."

Ketura nodded. "We are supposed to be descended from the Hero of Time, aren't we? But – monthly subsidies? I never noticed anything like that growing up. Mom and I were always kind of poor."

Link shook his head and continued. "It didn't take long for her to call upon me again for help. She told me that a dangerous gang of outlaws had established itself out in the Gerudo Desert and needed to be dealt with. So … I set out and searched the desert for them, but I never found them. I did find a small settlement of Gerudo, though. I guess they felt safe returning to Hyrule from the far reaches of the desert. There were maybe fifty of them: women, children, elderly, all living peacefully. Even a few non-Gerudo men lived with them. Their settlement was at the same location where my map told me the outlaws' camp was."

"What did you do?"

"I returned to Castle Town, told Zelda there had to have been some kind of mistake. She insisted there was no mistake. Those people were Gerudo, therefore they meant to do the realm harm, and they needed to be eliminated. According to her, at least. I saw innocent people, minding their own business. I refused her orders … she branded me a traitor, and threw me in prison. A week in, some soldiers paraded by my cell with those Gerudos' heads on spikes. They taunted me with them. Told me I wasn't man enough. That I didn't deserve to be called a hero, or hold the Triforce of Courage." His tone became increasingly indignant, sounding pained at having to relive the events he described, and he clasped his right hand over the back of his left hand.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Ketura rested a hand on his shoulder.

"No, you didn't upset me. Zelda did ... when I first met her all those years ago, she was a wise and kind ruler. Then, she stopped being that just out of nowhere. Perhaps she had become paranoid about the Gerudo people after all that happened - but then she let Lord Daphnes into her inner circle, and then similar things started happening to the Zoras and the Gorons ... and then Zant revealed himself to me one night when nobody else was around. He enjoyed seeing me suffer, he said. Told me he had Midna, and he was going to go after anyone else that I loved. My first thought was of you, Ketura."

Ketura bit her lip.

"A few days later, the rebels freed me from prison, and they helped me free Midna ... Zant might have a role in all this, but I don't know. What I do know is that there can be no peace or justice in Hyrule as long as Zelda and Daphnes reign over it, and Zant must be stopped for good this time."

Ketura nodded in agreement, opening her mouth to say something in affirmation, but Link continued.

"For so long I was angry with the Gods for what happened to me … but then I found peace when I decided to let go and trust them completely to make everything all right. Now that I am free and I found you, I believe that they are watching out for us."

She nodded again, slowly and politely, yet a little envious that he could still believe the Gods were good. Then she remembered ….

"There's something I need to tell you, Dad. Ganondorf … he's alive. I accidentally brought him back from the dead – I promise it was an accident!"

"No, I believe you, darling." Link's eyes widened in shock, and he stammered to speak. "That's impossible, though. I killed him, with the Master Sword. Put him in the ground myself. What are the Gods thinking, allowing him to walk the earth again?"

"I don't know. I found his face sticking out of the ground, and thinking he was some random nobody I spoke the customary prayer for the desecrated dead, and some Gerudo magic stone was in the hole next to him and it glowed, and the next thing I knew he was standing up and pulling worms out of his ears, and I'm really sorry Dad."

Ketura paused to take a breath, during which Link told her "Don't be. You didn't know."

"He followed me home, thinking I had done it on purpose and he wanted to know why. Then he left, and then I ran into him again in Castle Town and he wanted to know why I was speaking to the Princess but I didn't tell him that the army had arrested the people who really wanted him alive, something called the Cult of Dragmire? I think that's what it's called. I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know! But he's going after this Zant guy too."

Link furrowed his brow. "We're going to have a lot more on our plate now, that's for sure," he said, "and Zant's going to have a hell of a time with everyone coming after him. When we go meet the others, I'll let them know about Ganondorf. And when I'm done with him there won't be anything left worth burying."

"Wow, you sound committed to being thorough," joked Ketura.

"What can I say? Nobody terrorizes my daughter and gets away with it, especially him. But first … do you have anything to eat?

* * *

Link and Ketura set out later in the afternoon. The two kept moving north, ducking and dashing behind boulders to avoid a pack of Lizalfos on the main road, and Link led Ketura into a passageway carved into the side of a cliff. At a fork in the path, Link chose the right fork; at the next fork, he chose the left, and at the final fork, he chose the one in the center. This corridor opened up to show a small village, full of dilapidated houses and buildings, with tall rocks and cliff faces providing natural walls and cover.

The largest house of the village lay straight ahead; Ketura could see lights on inside, until shutters slammed down over the windows.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"It's the Sheikah's Hidden Village. Impa, who is a Sheikah, fixed it up for us to use. It serves as one of the rebellion's main bases."

Ketura looked around at the houses, and how nice and new they looked. A gaggle of Cuccoos congregated outside of one of them pecking at feed scattered on the ground. Near the Cuccoos stood some cats who stoically monitored their surroundings, including the two humans walking by.

"I hope we're not late," Link said as he approached the door of the big house. He knocked on it and waited.

"How fast does the Cuccoo fly?" a voice on the other side of the door asked.

"Depends if it's plain, golden, or angry," answered Link. This exchange made no sense to Ketura, but it was apparently good enough for the keeper of the door. Three undone locks later, the door opened.

A tall slender woman, with blonde hair tied back in a single braid, stood at the door. She wore midnight blue, with a weeping eye embroidered on the chest of her tunic. Makeup in a similar design adorned the area around her right eye.

"Welcome, Link … and you must be Ketura. It is good to see that he found you safe. I am Impa."

"Hi, nice to meet you," said Ketura. She tried to peek around Impa to see inside the house, but Impa had opened the door just enough for her to step out.

"Are we late?" asked Link.

"No, we … Link, there's been a new development. It's … ah … come inside. Ketura should probably wait here."

"What happened?" Link pressed.

"You will not believe it until you see it." Impa sighed, then stepped back into the house to allow Link to come in. The door shut behind the two of them, leaving Ketura outside. She pressed her ear against the door, hearing nothing but silence at first, until she heard her father say something – his voice was muffled, but she could tell he sounded displeased. Then, she heard him quite clearly exclaim "What in the Gods' name, Impa?! I brought my daughter here, thinking I could trust you with her safety, and then you decide to – _you_ keep your mouth shut before I bury you again, in a place nobody can find you!"

No way, Ketura thought. She turned the doorknob to find it wouldn't budge, and she knocked on the door. "Dad, what's going on?"

"Hold on, I'll be right there," Link replied. A few seconds later, he reappeared outside, looking irritated and worried.

"I shouldn't have brought you here," he said as he grabbed her under the elbow and led her away from the house. "Impa has lost her damned mind – they all have. Maybe your grandfather in Ordon Village will take you in-"

"You didn't tell me what happened," said Ketura, although the comments she heard about Link wanting to bury someone again gave her a small idea of who was in the house.

"That's because you're better off not knowing, Ketura," said Link.

"So we're just going to walk all the way to Ordon right now? It'll get dark and I don't have a lantern!" Ketura protested. "And why do you think you can just keep secrets from me? I think I should know why I can't stay here with you."

"She's right, you know!"

Both Link and Ketura froze on the spot when they heard the third voice boom out from the house. The suspicion she had about what was going on, coupled with recognizing the third person's voice … she hated being right that time.

Ketura turned her head back to look towards the big house to see Ganondorf standing in front of the door, wearing a self-satisfied smirk on his face.


	7. Six

**SIX**

"Your name is Ketura, is it? Never would have imagined," Ganondorf continued.

Link leaped in front of Ketura, assuming a wide defensive stance.

"Stay away. Don't you dare speak to her!" he exclaimed, pointing forcefully at Ganondorf.

"Mind if I speak to you then, Link? You look well, although prison seems to have been less than kind to you."

"Shut up!" snapped Link.

"What are you doing here?" Ketura craned her neck to the side to make eye contact with Ganondorf.

Ganondorf looked from Ketura to Link, whose face was contorted into a death glare that could certainly kill many times over, and said "I am here for the same reason anyone else is here – to see the downfall of the Royal Family."

"So you say," hissed Link. The front door of the house opened slightly, allowing Impa to poke her head out.

"Everything all right out here?" she asked. "Link, please come back inside … no final decisions have been made and I want you to help make them."

"Why? You know how I feel," said Link testily.

Impa opened the door the rest of the way and gestured for Ganondorf to go inside. Link followed, stopping at the doorway to lock eyes with Impa temporarily.

"You know the saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend?' Ganondorf claims that his goals align with ours, and we are trying to validate those claims," she explained.

Ketura took a couple of steps toward the house, and she heard her father say "This does _not_ sit well with me, Impa. What about my daughter? Unless you can guarantee her safety –"

"I do guarantee it. Now please go inside."

Surprised that he didn't raise an objection, Ketura went inside the house behind her father and Impa. An uneasy feeling rose inside her as she followed Link to the side of the room that put as much space between them and Ganondorf as possible.

The living area of the house was packed with people, sitting on the floor, standing, or crammed into the scant pieces of furniture. Ketura noted Hylians, Gerudo, a few people that looked and dressed similar to Impa (leaving her to assume they were Sheikah), a refined-looking Zora man with two armed guards, and a short stocky girl with a round face and rough stony skin. Ketura couldn't figure out if this girl was human or Goron, and she didn't want to appear rude by asking or staring. She instead glanced over to the other side of the room where most of the Gerudo had congregated – and when she inadvertently made eye contact with Ganondorf, he evidently took it as an invitation to speak to her.

"There are Gerudo magic-users among this group –" he gestured to two women sitting on the floor with a man. Ketura assumed the two women were twins; their sharp facial features, bright orange hair, and almond-shaped amber eyes were almost identical. One woman dressed in bright oranges and yellows, while the other wore paler pastel shades of blue and purple. The man with them – who had to be Gerudo as well judging by his warm brown skin, copper-colored hair, and facial features similar to that of the twin sisters - kept staring at Ganondorf with a burning gaze, as if he was trying to nonverbally communicate his disdain to the best of his ability.

"- and it turns out they were not the ones who attempted to resurrect me," added Ganondorf matter-of-factly.

"Of course not! We're not with those loons in the Cult of Dragmire!" said one of the Gerudo twins as she tossed her braided hair over her shoulder.

"I mean, I can understand trying to smash the monarchy," said Ketura, referencing any goals Ganondorf might have in common with the rebels. Link shot her a cautionary look.

"But what are you going to do afterwards? Huh?" the other Gerudo twin asked Ganondorf.

Silence. Impa faced Ganondorf.

"You do understand that we are about creating a fair and just society, by and for the people, where the people govern themselves without relying on a king or queen to rule them," she said icily.

"I have yet to even decide if I want to rule Hyrule. It may turn out that I retire to a remote fishing village far away from here and live my second life in peace! Impa, I admire you and your group, your ideology, and your resolve. If you permit me to stay with you, I won't interfere and I won't compromise. You have my word."

Impa narrowed her eyes as she studied Ganondorf's expression. "What is it you want, and why do you need us to do it?"

"My reasons are my own. You should be grateful that I am offering to help you."

During the exchange between Impa and Ganondorf, Link took Ketura by the arm and guided her to stand next to the girl who was either human or Goron.

The girl looked over to Ketura. "Hi, my name's Dangora," she said congenially.

"Ketura," said Ketura, extending her hand for a handshake and taking a closer look at the rough stony patches on Dangora's skin.

Dangora took Ketura's hand and shook it vigorously, almost throwing Ketura down to the ground. "I know you're curious: I'm half-Hylian and half-Goron. My mother gave birth to me while she worked on the Tower with the other Gorons."

Ketura nodded in understanding, and a pit formed in her stomach. She thought of all the times in her childhood when she would look out the window of her house and see a procession of Gorons, pulling a cart full of stone caskets back up Death Mountain. They had always come from Castle Town, and now she wondered if Dangora's mother was ever in one of those caskets.

"Link! Zahrain! Ralis! Ashei! Meet me in the kitchen." Impa commanded.

"Stay with Dangora," Link whispered to Ketura before he followed Impa into the house's kitchen. Following him were the Gerudo man, the refined-looking Zora and his guards, and a middle-aged woman dressed in light armor.

Everyone else who remained in the living room sat relatively quietly, glancing around at everyone else, but doing their very best to avoid looking towards Ganondorf, who leaned up against a wall. Ketura kept her eyes fixed on the floor at her feet, but from the corner of her eye she could tell that Ganondorf stared at her intently. She felt tension both in the room and in her chest.

"So … you're Link's daughter, huh?" one of the Hylian men said to Ketura. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, with his blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and a sheathed sword leaning against his legs as he sat on the couch. He sat between someone Ketura presumed to be Sheikah, and a woman with black hair and olive skin who appeared to be around his age.

"Yeah, I am," said Ketura. "Hi."

"The name's Colin. This is my wife Luda," Colin nodded to the woman sitting next to him. "I'm an old friend of your parents, from when we were kids in Ordon. Your dad was my biggest inspiration back in the day ... and I'm sorry about your mom. Ilia was a good person. We wrote to each other, and I kept her letters. You can have them if you want."

"That'd be great, thanks."

"No problem. I also hope you're ready to fight, because Hyrule is on its way to hell." Colin's demeanor changed instantly, and a fire burned in his blue-green eyes. "Princess Zelda used to be a fair ruler, until she welcomed that scum Daphnes into her inner circle. Why is she letting him act out his prejudices, discriminating and encouraging genocide? And how can any gods condone this behavior against their children?"

"Colin, calm down," Luda said as she rested her hand on top of his.

"I won't stay calm! Don't you remember what they did to your father, Luda? You grew up in Kakariko, Ketura. You remember what happened to Renado the shaman?"

"I do, yeah!" Ketura thought of how Hylian soldiers had dragged the wise old shaman from his house, beat him, and then carried him off, never to be seen alive again. A week later, the soldiers returned, ransacked the house some more, and then left empty-handed. She knew Renado had a daughter, and assumed that the daughter escaped somewhere after her father's disappearance.

"And the Gorons, too! I remember seeing funeral processions go up Death Mountain. I don't think anyone in Kakariko Village likes the royals." Ketura added, giving Dangora a sympathetic look. "But … you said that Zelda had been fair before, until this Daphnes showed up. Does he have her under some spell?"

"Maybe. It's doubtful that Zelda would do this of her own free will," said Luda.

"So far we think that someone has Zelda under a trance to do their bidding," added the Gerudo twin in the orange-and-yellow clothing. "Our sister looks enough like a Hylian to pass as one, so she lives in Castle Town and she's informed us of all this propaganda that Daphnes spews out with Zelda's permission. He talks about making Hyrule stronger and preserving its cultural heritage and identity, and stomping out any force that may endanger it."

The other Gerudo twin continued. "However, we don't have any intelligence to indicate that Daphnes possesses magical abilities. Thanks to Link and Midna, we do know that the Twili sorcerer Zant has returned, and Midna saw him at Hyrule Castle while she was held prisoner there. He may be behind this."

"We all thought Zant had died sixteen years ago," said the other twin.

"He never died," Ganondorf said suddenly. "He just went into hiding, biding his time, regaining his strength." He wringed his hands together, and stroked the top of his right hand.

"What was he trying to do sixteen years ago?" asked Ketura.

Midna floated into the room from the kitchen, completely halting when she saw Ganondorf. " _You_ ," she hissed. Her eyes narrowed in contempt and she clenched her teeth together, baring her pointed canines.

"You're looking a bit on the small side these days, Midna," sneered Ganondorf.

Midna growled at him before turning his back to him so she could face Ketura.

"Under _his_ direction," Midna tipped her head towards Ganondorf, "Zant tried to unite this realm with the Twilight Realm, casting both into an eternal twilight and declaring himself ruler of both. It was basically a grown man's temper tantrum over being denied the right to rule, amplified further by _him_. I guess he's taking another crack at it, now that he feels unstoppable."

"So Zant's controlling Zelda?" Ketura asked, recalling the Princess's sudden headache and how they were apparently a frequent event.

"Possibly. Maybe it's her fiancé Daphnes. That's right, they're getting married – I thought she had better taste in men than him. Or maybe she's just going off the deep end. Who knows? Took her long enough," Midna shrugged.

"We have our sources in Castle Town who are very close to the Princess, and they're trying to figure out what's going on with her," said Colin.

"Will she need to be eliminated?" Ganondorf questioned.

"At least Zant and Daphnes will need to be … eliminated, as you put it," answered the man sitting next to Colin. "Zelda will need to be overthrown, but whether or not she lives depends on her and how lost she may be."

Ketura bit her lip. These people were talking about overthrowing rulers and killing them – what had she gotten herself into? How much use could she be to the rebellion? She started to think that they wouldn't want her to stick around just to be with her father, but she didn't know how to fight, and definitely not on the level she had seen in Castle Town.

In a single-file line, the ones who had gone off to the kitchen returned to the main room. Impa stood in the center, facing Ganondorf, while Link rejoined Ketura's side.

"We have made a decision," Impa stated. "Ganondorf, we invite you to work with the Hylian Peoples' Liberation, on condition. If you cooperate with us, fully support our goals, and do nothing to jeopardize our mission or the security of the people of Hyrule, then you will have our blessing to go and live your new life in peace. If, however, you do not cooperate, or you give us reason to believe you will harm us or Hyrule's citizens …."

Ganondorf folded his arms across his chest and looked at Impa with scrutiny. After a pause, he nodded.

"I accept your proposition," he said.

Ketura looked over to Link; his face was blank, unreadable. She noted how Zahrain, the Gerudo man, had his face twisted in a scowl. Others in the room hung their heads, gasped, sighed, or scoffed.

"The rest of you –" Impa turned in a circle around the room "-may be wondering what we are thinking, allowing him to join us. Our group shares goals with Ganondorf, and as long as we have those goals in common than we should work together to make them happen. This may not be a popular decision, I understand, but if we want to win this may be necessary. I urge every one of us to get along, and news of this does not leave this group. Our popular support is growing, after all, and we cannot damage it. Surely you understand that," she looked over her shoulder to Ganondorf.

"I do," he affirmed.

"Good. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you are still a dead man."

"And I'll make you a dead man again if you step out of line!" Zahrain interjected.

Ganondorf cocked his head towards Zahrain, seeming impressed with the younger man. "You must be the Gerudo male of the century," he noted.

"Yes, the first one in three hundred years to survive infancy, no thanks to you! My people have been abused, imprisoned, tortured, and murdered over the centuries, and it is _your_ fault."

Zahrain's words stunned Ganondorf. Ketura thought he would be able to handle being told that something was his fault with a straight face, but she saw remorse flash across his face for a brief second.

"Our people will finally have justice. Trust me," said Ganondorf.

Zahrain shook his head. "Whatever," he muttered as he went to sit back down with the Gerudo twins. "These are my sisters, Levali and Nabira," he said shortly, gesturing first to the twin in bright colors and then to the twin in pastel shades.

The twins glanced at each other, apparently not surprised at their brother's outburst but still seeming uncertain about having Ganondorf with them.

Another brief, tense silence filled the room. Link put an arm around Ketura's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Once again Ketura caught Ganondorf looking at her, but then he turned his gaze elsewhere, possibly deterred by Link shooting him another death glare.

Impa cleared her throat.

"All right … well … on to other business. Our scouts are still trying to confirm the location of the prison camp where the Zoras are being held captive. As soon as we know we will set out to free them. That is our next objective. Link is preparing his own set of missions: one private, and one that will require everyone's cooperation. He will be visiting villages and towns throughout Hyrule, giving speeches, and rallying more to our cause. We can count on his credibility. If anyone would like to assist him with this, they are more than welcome to. Finally, we must once again sever the connection between our realm and the Twilight Realm that Zant created … all the while, we must stay vigilant, looking for an opening that will allow us to strike against Zant and Daphnes and hopefully save the Princess … does anyone else have any business to discuss that does _not_ involve Ganondorf?"

Another Gerudo woman had begun to raise her hand, but she swiftly lowered it.

"Very well. This meeting is concluded. We did good work in Castle Town today, despite losing a good man. Everyone get some rest, say a prayer for Ewin, and for the love of the Gods get along!"

People began filing out of the house, either keeping their eyes straight ahead or shooting Ganondorf nasty looks on their way out. Zahrain whispered something in Ganondorf's general direction on his way out, and Nabira slapped him on the shoulder afterwards. At the end, only Impa, Ganondorf, Ketura, Link, and Midna remained in the house.

Link looked at Ganondorf and cleared his throat. Ganondorf picked up on the hint and strode out of the house.

"Now what?" asked Ketura.

"Follow me to my room – well, it's our room now I suppose," said Link as he led Ketura through a set of doors into the kitchen, up a flight of stairs on the far side of the room, and down a hall to the second door on the left. The bedroom was small, barely decorated, with two small beds inside.

"They assigned me this room when I came here, and I guessed I'd eventually get a roommate," Link continued as he sat down on one of the beds and lit a lantern on the nightstand between the two beds. Ketura hopped on top of the other bed.

"Impa said something about a secret mission …." Ketura changed the subject as she took off her shoes.

Link got up and closed the door of the bedroom before joining Ketura on her bed. "I'm going to get the Master Sword," he said in a hushed tone. "Soon. I don't know how soon, though, but hopefully I do it before Zelda sends guards to the Temple of Time."

"Why not just leave tomorrow?"

"Because Impa needs me to plan the Zora rescue. And I have speeches to write. Also, you're here! I want to get to know you," said Link as he stroked Ketura's hair.

"There's not much to me, Dad. I grew up in Kakariko, go to school, read books, so I guess I can help you write speeches, and explore caves around the village," said Ketura simply, "… and it appears I have a natural proclivity for necromancy," she jested.

Link rolled his eyes. "Do me a favor? Stay away from him. Don't talk to him, and don't let yourself be alone with him."

Ketura nodded, then leaned in closer to her father. "Do you think he's up to something?"

"That's why Impa wants to keep him around," said Link, his tone indicating his uneasiness and disapproval. "She wants this to succeed more than anything. I didn't know until now how far she was willing to go …. But that's part of why I'm going to get the Master Sword. It's my right as a Hero to carry the blade. If he is up to something, I'll end him. When this is all over and our revolution wins, I'm still going to end him."

"And then we can go home?"

With a nod, Link said "Yes, we can go home." He pulled Ketura into a hug, and the two sat like that for a few moments. Ketura let herself relax in her father's embrace, and she felt a wave of contentment. She was with him, and he was just like she imagined he would be: brave, noble, ready to stand up for what is right, and defend against evil. There was no longer a need for her to sell her house and take off to unknown lands.

Link slowly pulled himself out of the hug. "How are you with a sword?" he asked.

"Uh … I'm not. With a sword, obviously. Your old one from Ordon is still at the house, but I don't know how to use it, and I didn't bring it with me, so ..."

"Then I'll teach you. Starting first thing tomorrow."


	8. Seven

**SEVEN**

The first golden rays of sunlight decorated the morning sky as Link and Ketura approached a shoddily constructed scarecrow in the yard on the side of the main house. After setting down a basket filled with enough food to last them the day, he gave her one of two wooden swords laying on the ground next to the scarecrow, and it felt heaviest at the place where the handguards met the hilt.

"Use this until I decide you're ready for a real one," Link told her.

"But what if we're in a fight? A wood sword wouldn't be much good," Ketura said.

"You're not going to be in a fight until I decide you're ready for a real sword," Link rebutted. He grabbed another wooden sword nearby and stood in front of the scarecrow.

"This first move I'm going to show you is easy: a horizontal slice." Link quickly swung his sword across, striking the scarecrow and sending straw flying out of a hole in its side. "It's simple but effective. Put enough power into it and you can easily knock your enemy down." He struck the scarecrow again with another horizontal slice.

"Now you try," he said, stepping away from the scarecrow and gesturing to it.

Ketura assumed the position in front of the scarecrow, tightened her grip on the hilt, and swung her sword at the scarecrow - but she didn't hit it. The momentum of the swing sent her stumbling to the side.

"That was a … good attempt," said Link, trying to sound positive. "But let's try hitting the scarecrow this time. Also, firmer footing."

Pushing her feet harder into the ground, Ketura took another swing. She hit the scarecrow with just the tip of the sword, and she still wobbled to the side as the swing completed.

"Better. I think you actually touched it that time," said Link.

"Try lunging forward as you strike."

Ketura and Link turned to find the source of the unsolicited advice: Ganondorf, leaning against the wall of the main house, arms folded across his chest.

"What are you doing? I thought I told you not to speak to my daughter," Link spat at him.

"She's the reason I'm alive again. I am indebted to her, and I would like to repay my debt however I can."

"You can express your gratitude at begin alive again by shutting your mouth and doing exactly what we tell you," Link snarled.

Ketura shifted her eyes between the two men, feeling that although they were talking about her she was being totally ignored. She soon turned her attention back to the scarecrow and swung at it again, this time lunging forward slightly and putting most of her weight on her front foot. Her sword hit the scarecrow hard, making it wobble and lose some hay. She barely faltered, and stood up straight.

Link stared at her blankly. Ganondorf gave her a small, cocky smile.

"You were right," Ketura told Ganondorf. "Thanks for the tip. Don't give me any more unless I ask for them."

"Whatever you say," said Ganondorf with a bow of his head.

Link glared at him and growled " _Go away._ "

"Look at you, such a caring father, limiting your child's exposure to new ideas and scary things." With that, Ganondorf strolled off down the main road of the village, out of sight once he passed behind a two-story building.

Once he was gone, Link exhaled slowly, almost huffing in anger. "Next, I'll show you a vertical slice. The principle is the same, only first you raise up and swing down." He stepped in front of the scarecrow and executed the move; in the process he brought his sword down so forcefully that a small hole ripped in the center of the scarecrow.

Ketura tried after he demonstrated the move. She mimicked his motions, raising up and swinging down, throwing in another little lunge for good measure. Although she tipped forward a little bit in the process, her sword made contact with the scarecrow.

"Good one," said Link.

"Thanks … hey Dad, you know the story about the farmer and the dog who hated each other?"

"It sounds familiar," said Link, raising an eyebrow.

"Like, it's the story where the dog helps the farmer herd goats, but one day a goat almost tramples the dog and the dog bites the goat and the farmer beats the dog. Then this cycle gets going where the dog keeps acting out and biting goats, and the farmer keeps beating the dog, and the dog moves on to biting other people and kids, and the farmer beats the dog some more, and it never ends because they're trapped in a vicious cycle of biting and beating until finally the dog runs off into the woods. The moral of the story was something about how destructive it is to answer violence and hate with more violence and hate."

Halfway through Ketura's retelling of the story, Link nodded slowly as he recognized what she was trying to say. "And you've surely noticed that there isn't a version of the story where the dog and the farmer make up and magically become friends again? Because that's not how real life works."

"There could be," said Ketura. "Or they could at least not hate each other for a little bit so that their lives are a little easier."

"No there can't. Trust me."

After a few more vertical slices, Link showed Ketura how to sidestep around an opponent, dodge their attacks with small jumps and rolls, and suggested doing backflips to dodge as well – although when he tried to demonstrate, he failed to stick the landing and fell flat on his face.

"Are you okay?" Ketura asked as she dropped to her knees to help him up.

"Yeah, it's just been a while since I tried that," Link said as he brushed dirt off his front.

"I can't even do a cartwheel," Ketura confessed.

"Link!" Impa cried out from the front of the house. Link spun around to face her, and she motioned for him to join her inside. She then called out for Zahrain and Ashei, and the two of them soon followed.

"Keep practicing," Link instructed before he went in with the others.

Feeling her stomach growl, Ketura plopped herself down on the ground next to the basket of food she and Link had brought out. She started with a handful of nuts, tossing them all into her mouth at one time, and then reached for a small loaf of bread and jam. As she tore off pieces of bread and dipped them into the jam, she noticed how fresh the bread tasted – it was probably a couple of days old, but it was still softer and more flavorful than the loaves she had back home. The contents of the basket, meant to feed two people for a morning, had to be more food than she used to eat in a week. Figuring that this had to last, she decided to stop at that loaf of bread.

While eating, she watched as Levali and Nabira sat outside a small house and chatted with some other Gerudo women, stopping to wave and say hello to the passing Colin and Luda. Three Hylians, carrying bags and bundles, stormed out of one of the houses and down the road to the entrance of the tunnel, yelling at anyone who would listen about how they had lost their faith in Impa's decision-making abilities and were therefore leaving. A group of Sheikah sparred in the street, apparently for sport as nobody hit their opponents too hard. She noticed Ganondorf lurking in the shadow of one of the houses, watching the Sheikah.

She did feel a little bad for him. It must have been hard, she thought, being somewhere he was unwanted and wanting to help people who despised him – assuming that he truly wanted to help and wasn't using it as a cover for something more dastardly … and she considered the possibility that soon he would grow tired of everyone hating him and just run off on his own.

The story of the dog and the farmer unnerved her when she first read it, and she wondered how the dog would change if the farmer would just stop beating it.

* * *

Link remained cooped up inside for a few hours, so Ketura practiced on her own during that time, reviewing everything her father had shown her. At one point Colin stopped by to see what she was doing, and then suggested she hold her sword with both hands instead of just one. From then on she practiced when holding the sword with both hands, as well as with only her right hand.

When Link returned from his meeting, he had Ketura show him what she had been working on and watched expectantly as she hacked away at the scarecrow, jumped around it, and did a clumsy roll.

"Looking good," he said, giving his daughter an affirming pat on the shoulder. "I think we can call it for now. Tomorrow I'll show you something a little more complicated, and I want you to keep working on these moves, all right?"

Feeling accomplished, Ketura nodded fervently.

"All right. I'll do my best, Dad."

Ketura spent the rest of the day in the big house's study, curled up in a cozy armchair and reading a book that Impa recommended to her – the first of a stack of five books total. The book's author, a philosopher who had lived seventy-five years previously, discussed whether or not it was better to let every citizen of a nation have a say in the nation's governance, or if the people should appoint a person or group to rule everyone. She had a hard time reading it, given the dry technical language used by the author, although a disparaging remark about the intellectual capabilities of women did not go unnoticed. When she had enough of that book, Ketura looked to her stack of assigned reading to see another philosophy book, two volumes about the histories of the lost people of Hyrule (presumably about Sheikah, Gerudo, and other obscure races), and a compilation of political treatises written by Princess Zelda IV, who was the Hero of Time's ally.

She picked up the first history volume and read voraciously, amazed to find that the supposed oppression of non-Hylian people had begun long before the days of the Hero of Time. During the great civil war, the Sheikah found itself split down the middle; the sect loyal to the Royal Family, depicted in illustrations as blonde with wide eyes and lighter skin, resorted to turning the tribe's most sacred temple into a dungeon and place to torture and execute their enemies. One Sheikah woman was recorded as justifying the temple's desecration with the blood of her own people by insisting that the old gods of the Sheikah were obsolete, and the Divine Trinity was superior in every aspect. Sheikah still loyal to the old gods slowly died out, due to forced conversion or execution, and this group was illustrated as having darker features all around, with small eyes and thick eyebrows. Ketura wondered which gods Impa and the others in the rebellion worshiped.

The Gerudo ancestral lands had always been in the desert, but for a long time they had coexisted peacefully with the other people of Hyrule, relying on trade for food when the desert's harsh climate did not favor agriculture and freely taking lovers from Hylian men. The tribe had, according to this record, used the civil war as a means to expand their territory into the lush green lands of Hyrule. Ketura read about how after the civil war the king massacred many Gerudo and pushed the survivors back into the desert as retribution for opposing him, and tried to kill the tribe's lone male child. What followed was a period of suffering for the Gerudo as they were afflicted by starvation and drought, and the tribe became withdrawn and more hostile to outsiders. It was around that time that the Gerudo gained their reputation as thieves and harlots, stealing and prostituting themselves for food and to reproduce. The lone male Gerudo had been groomed from a young age to become the tribe's ruler; having suffered like the rest, he vowed to do everything he could to overthrow the king that oppressed them and to bring prosperity to his people.

This Gerudo man's name was never mentioned, and when she noticed that three whole chapters of the book had been completely blacked out, she got a hunch as to who he became. Ketura wondered if Impa knew the book had been censored, or maybe if she had done it herself; as she yawned, she figured that she could always ask the man himself for the missing pieces.

* * *

Link eventually called Ketura to bed, and she lay down, but found herself unable to sleep longer than an hour. She felt the itch to go out and practice with her wooden sword some more, hoping it would tire her out, so she got up and tiptoed out of the house.

She headed for the side of the house where the practice scarecrow stood, and when she got there she found Ganondorf leaning against a crate with a glass bottle in his hand.

Ketura paused when she saw him.

"You're up late," he said cheekily.

She hesitated. "Uh … couldn't sleep. Thought I'd come practice some more."

"Want to make your dad proud, I see … go ahead. I won't stop you."

Feeling uneasy, Ketura picked a wood sword up off the ground, assumed her stance in front of the scarecrow, and hit it a few times with alternating horizontal and vertical slices. Some swings turned out to be more diagonal than others, she noted. During her final strike, she swung so hard that she lost her grip on the hilt and the sword went flying off to the side. She watched it go, only to see it freeze mid-air before it floated back to her.

She looked over to Ganondorf, watching how he used an outstretched hand to guide the floating sword back to her. As she grabbed the sword again, making sure to hold on extra firmly this time, she asked him "Where did you learn magic?"

"From several sources," Ganondorf responded. "I learned both the Hylian and Gerudo magic traditions in my training when I was young." He took a drink from his bottle, set the bottle aside, and stood up.

"Magic looks amazing. I-I'd like to learn it someday," Ketura remarked as she took another swing at the scarecrow.

Ganondorf smirked. "If you like, 'someday' can happen right now. Do you want to learn how to cast Din's Fire?" he asked, creating a bright flame that floated just above the palm of his hand.


	9. Eight

**EIGHT**

It was a sensation like nothing she had ever felt before: the warm energy that pulsed through her veins, focusing in the palms of her hands, and fueling a brilliant flame. Her first attempt at Din's Fire had been just the size of a candle's flame; she tried harder on her second attempt, resulting in a larger fire. It alarmed her though, how large her fire burned, and she threw it out of her hands onto the scarecrow and watched it burn down.

Magic was so much cooler than using a sword, she decided, and she wondered if she could ever tell her father about it.

* * *

"I think I'm going to show you a jump attack today," Link said to Ketura as the two of them made their way down the stairs and headed outside.

"Sounds cool," replied Ketura, braiding her hair as she walked alongside her father. She let out a loud yawn.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" Link asked.

"Not really," she said casually.

"Okay … maybe try going to bed earlier and see if that helps."

Once outside, Link and Ketura turned the corner to the side of the house, and found a pile of dark ash where the scarecrow used to be. "What happened here?" a confused Link asked, eyeing the pile of ash.

"Well, it looks like someone set the scarecrow on fire," said Ketura. "Either that or it spontaneously combusted."

"It _what?"_ Link looked at her, his expression indicating that his confusion only increased after hearing what she said.

"Spontaneous combustion? I read about it once. It's when something catches on fire out of nowhere," she explained. She expected Link to answer somehow, but something behind her head caught his eye, and she turned around to see what.

Four people, one woman and three men, ran to the front door of the big house. They wore browns, greens, and grays, with the red upside-down Triforce symbol embroidered onto their sleeves as a shoulder patch. The woman knocked on the door, paused, and waited for Impa to ask about how fast the Cuccoo flies, then answered "Depends if it's golden or angry."

The door opened, and the woman spoke immediately.

"Impa, we found it. The Zora prison camp."

A moment later, the Zora King Ralis pushed himself into the doorway next to Impa. "We should go now!" he said frantically as he faced the woman reporting. "Seline … did you see my children?"

"We didn't get close enough to see, Your Highness," said Seline.

Ralis hung his head.

Impa's expression hardened as she considered Seline's and Ralis's exchange.

"All right then. We leave immediately. Seline, you and your team lead the way."

In small groups of four or five, the rebels departed from the Hidden Village, spaced apart so that a group would set out an hour after the previous group did. All were set to rendezvous that night, at a spot on the map Seline described as a hill overlooking the camp below in the valley, with plenty of rocks atop the hill to provide them cover.

With the exceptions of Link, Ketura, and Ganondorf, everyone had donned their blue uniforms and wore their masks slung over the backs of their necks. Ketura finally got a good look at the mask up close: it depicted a woman's face, with the eyes cut out and a straight line for a mouth. Impa had explained that the mask was modeled after depictions of the goddess Hylia, second only to the Divine Trinity but no longer widely worshipped in Hyrule.

"I grew up praying to her, though," Impa said as she led her small group of Link, Ketura, Ganondorf, and Midna through the tunnel system that led in and out of the Hidden Village. "She has a revered place among the old Sheikah gods, and one of my ancestors actually served the goddess reincarnated."

"That's interesting," said Ketura before she tugged at the hem of the gray shirt she had found in a closet. She then pulled down on the straps of the large backpack she carried that was full of food and other supplies in addition to her personal bag. To haul stuff around was the only reason Impa let her tag along, she reasoned. The same was probably true for Ganondorf, who carried even more items on his back, including cookware and kindling.

The journey took the whole day: going through the tunnels as far north as they could until they reached the greater Lanayru field, sidling along the lower river banks, ducking under a bridge as a company of soldiers marched across it, and waiting for a bloody fight between a pack of Lizalfos and a pack of Bulbins to come to an end. A group consisting of Zahrain, Levali, Nabira, Ralis, and Ralis's guards caught up with them as the fight continued.

"Wow, this fight's been going on a while," Midna observed.

"Can't we just blast them out of our way?" Ketura asked, glancing over to Ganondorf. If anything, she found herself itching to play with magic some more. She could feel magical energy tingling at her fingertips, practically begging to be turned into a burst of Din's Fire.

"Not unless you want the Lizalfos and the Bulbins teaming up against the Hylians and harming lots of innocent people," said Link.

"Nothing will get these two factions to get along. Believe me, I've tried," said Ganondorf. Nobody reacted to him.

Finally, the last of the Bulbins retreated, injured and limping, leaving a trail of blood behind them. The Lizalfos cried out victoriously, then sprinted off.

"What do you think they were fighting over?" Ketura asked as the group started moving again, making sure not to step in the blood or entrails of the dead. She seemed puzzled as to why either group would just leave the bodies of their fallen comrades instead of burying them.

"Lizalfos are very territorial, and Bulbins are more nomadic. The Bulbins probably came to this area, not knowing that the Lizalfos claimed it, and the Lizalfos felt threatened by outsiders. They're monsters: brutish, violent, and disgusting … but they're more like us than we want to admit," said Ganondorf.

A few seconds later, Link grabbed Ketura's arm and the two hung back slightly as the rest went on. He whispered to Ketura, "Stop asking so many questions."

Ketura's stomach sank. Link seemed more annoyed than disappointed, and she couldn't figure out what she had done wrong. "Why?" she asked, just realizing she had asked another question.

"Because ga- I mean - you're … you're getting distracted. From the mission."

"Everything okay?" Midna called out to Link and Ketura. The rest of the group had stopped and looked back to see what the father and daughter were doing.

"Yes, we're all done here. Let's keep moving," Link responded, marching forward to rejoin the group. Ketura followed behind him, not quite understanding how her asking a question about the interactions between Lizalfos and Bulbins was distracting her from … walking. When she noticed Link whisper something to Midna – who perched precariously on his shoulder – and point over to Ganondorf, she had a hunch. It wasn't her fault that Ganondorf answered her question, though. Anyone could have.

Dad really needs to get over himself, she thought.

* * *

Further to the north, the grassy fields of Lanayru Field gave way to rocky terrain with patches of grass and the occasional tree. The rebels' rendezvous point sat on a hill, just like Seline had said, with plenty of tall rocks to hide them. Down below in the valley lay the prison camp holding the Zoras: walls constructed of black iron created the perimeter, with watch towers at every corner and one in the middle. Decrepit-looking tents stood in rows inside of the walls, some of them littered with holes and stained red and brown and green from who knows what. The nearby creek ran through one corner of the camp; it appeared to be accessible to the Zoras, but the outer edges were walled off and these walls presumably extended underwater. A dense forest started several yards to the northwest of the camp, and this forest extended into a rugged mountain range. Guards stood outside the camp walls at the front gates, around the walls, inside patrolling, and inside each watch tower. The watch towers situated by the creek had harpoon guns, pointed at the water.

Once everyone reached the rendezvous point, Impa gathered them in a circle to review their plan of attack over dinner cooked by Levali and Nabira with help from Ketura and Dangora. At the end, she turned to Ketura and said "You stay here at the camp. You're not ready to be in a fight."

Ketura opened her mouth, preparing to protest, but she said nothing.

"Just keep quiet and stay out of sight," continued Impa.

While everyone else threw up their hoods and masked themselves, Ketura just sat on a rock and watched them. She felt left out, but Impa was right. A day of sword training and an attempt at magic wasn't sufficient preparation … why did she even bother coming?

"Ketura," Link crouched down by his daughter. She turned to face him, and in the corner of her eye she saw Ganondorf throw on a thick black cloak he had brought with him and pull the hood up over his head.

"Why am I even here if I'm not going to help rescue the Zoras?" she whispered to him. Hopefully he wouldn't mind _this_ question since it was only directed to him.

"I didn't want you to be left alone at the village, just in case the army found it and something were to happen. But you're helping! You carried valuable supplies, and you helped the twins cook dinner. It was delicious, by the way. Right now you need to watch over the camp and keep it and yourself safe." Link did his best to sound encouraging as he spoke, and rested a hand on his daughter's knee.

Ketura nodded. "I can lay low," she promised him.

"Good girl." Link stood up and removed the sheathed sword from his back and handed it to Ketura. "Take this, and only use it if you absolutely have to."

Her father's sword was a lot heavier than she anticipated it would be. She looked at it, suddenly feeling some significant burden upon her, then she looked back up at Link. "What about you?"

"Don't need it. Midna?"

Midna appeared from Link's shadow and briefly gazed upon the sunset before taking the dark crystal and thrusting it into Link's forehead. Link gasped in pain before falling to all fours; he was a wolf again. With an affirming nod from Wolf Link, Midna sat down on his back and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Good luck," Ketura said to them before Link bounded down the hill. Impa and the other Sheikah followed soon after, moving swiftly and disappearing into the nearby tree line once they reached the bottom, making sure to stay well out of the guards' line of sight. The next group to go down the hill were the Hylian fighters, then the Gerudos, then Ralis and his guard, and finally Ganondorf slunk off, giving a small nod to Ketura before going. She had no idea what he meant by that.

Ketura crouched behind a rock and watched everyone swoop down, get into position, and hide. For roughly half an hour, nothing happened as the sun sunk deeper into the horizon and the sky darkened. She couldn't see where anyone was, and she scanned the area to see if she could spot them … and then she saw a silvery wisp appear from the forest and float towards the camp. The wisp took the shape of a child, and it floated in place as three guards from the front gate approached it. From there, the child-shaped wisp floated around the perimeter of the camp, somehow coaxing more guards into following it, and finally the wisp and the parade of guards disappeared into the forest.

She then watched as puffs of smoke exploded inside of the watch towers; after the smoke cleared, she saw the guards being thrown from the towers and landing below on the ground. From where she stood she could see four of the guards that were thrown, and only one of them managed to get up soon after.

Wolf Link and Midna, followed by the Gerudo and Hylians, approached the front gate of the prison camp. Midna's hair formed into a giant glowing orange hand that launched forward, knocking the gates off their hinges and sending them flying. Everyone charged in, fighting guards and entering tents. Zoras poured out of tents and fled the battle, going instead to the creek where Ralis and his guard waited for them. In the dying sunlight, Ketura noticed Ralis embracing three young Zoras; they must have been his children.

"Where'd you go? You promised us treasure!"

Ketura jumped. Her heart now racing, she looked around for the source of the voice. She soon noticed the silhouettes of three of the Hylian soldiers that had been led off by the wisp.

"Little forest spirit, where are you?"

Maybe if she held still, they wouldn't notice her. Nobody's here, she thought as if she could telepathically direct their actions. Nobody's here, go back down to the prison camp and fight them ….

"Hey you!" One of the soldiers looked directly at her. "Did you see a forest spirit come by here?"

"No, not at all," she replied. "But, um, it looks like your camp's under attack. You may want to go deal with that."

The three soldiers looked in the general direction of the camp, but then looked back at her. "Nothing's going on down there! There's no camp!"

"Wait, yeah there is! The rebels are attacking it!" Ketura reasoned that the wisp must have put them under some spell.

"Hold on, I know what you're doing – you found the forest spirit and you're hiding it from us so you can have the treasure all to yourself!"

"I'm not hiding – ah, crap." Ketura's stomach dropped as all three soldiers drew their swords and pointed them at her.

"Tell us where the forest spirit is and we won't hurt you," a soldier said as the three of them advanced on her.

Swallowing hard, Ketura drew the sword Link had given to her and pointed it at the three soldiers in turn, hoping it would deter them. It didn't. She couldn't think of a way to fend the three of them off, with her sword at least ….

Ketura dropped the sword on the ground, then quickly sent her mind racing to remember the steps of Din's Fire. She clasped her hands together, feeling energy channeling into her palms and growing warmer as it did, all while ignoring the soldiers' jeers of "I knew you had the forest spirit! We may even let you have a small share of its treasure!" When the heat in her hands became too much to bear, she separated them, thrust her arms out and swung them around, and a weak ring of fire spread forth and around her. It didn't seem like enough to her … but it was apparently enough for these bewitched soldiers.

"Aaaaahhh! Fire Demon! Run for your life!" All three soldiers dropped their weapons and sprinted away as fast as they could. In the distance Ketura heard them scream in fear again.

The dying fires provided enough light to reveal the arrival of Ganondorf. Lowering his hood, he surveyed the hilltop and the last lingering embers from Ketura's spell.

"Hmm, I thought I had them all trapped in the woods," he said.

Of course it was him behind the wisp and the spell, she thought.

"But I guess it's a good thing they're scared of fire demons?" said Ketura.

"I suppose. That wasn't bad for your second attempt. Much more controlled, but the power was lacking. You need to practice."

Ketura shook her head. "With my dad breathing down my neck all the time?"

"When we return to the village, we continue your training in the ways of magic at night, when nobody will know or can see us," Ganondorf offered.

"Sounds good," she said. "But, why do you want to train me?"

"Because you want to learn."

Shouts of victory rang from the valley. Ketura didn't see a single soldier left standing, and all of the rebels gathered at the creek with the Zoras.

"Come on," Ganondorf said to her as he started his way down to join the rest of them.

"But Impa said to –"

"The fight's over. What Impa said doesn't matter now."

Knowing he was right about the fight being over, Ketura followed him down into the valley to join the others. The first thing she noticed were the Zoras splashing and swimming around in the creek, and she smiled seeing how happy they were to move freely in water.

She scanned the crowd, looking for her father in whatever form he may currently be assuming. She didn't see him anywhere, and her mind raced with possibilities. Maybe he was still in the camp, helping a Zora or taking out one last soldier -

"Midna took him back," Zahrain noticed Ketura looking around and spoke to her.

"Why? What happened?" she asked, panicked.

"He was pretty badly hurt," said Zahrain, using a dark cloth to wipe blood off the blade of his sword's curved blade. "We didn't have enough Red Potions for everyone, and there's no way he would have survived a journey on foot … don't worry, Ketura. Midna took Luda back with her, and Luda's a skilled healer. He's in good hands."

Ketura forced herself to breathe, although they weren't calm breaths. "Thanks, Zahrain," she sputtered out, thinking about how she should have insisted that he take his sword and fought as a human. She didn't use it anyway. What a waste ….

Behind her she heard Ralis pleading with Impa.

"Please, Impa!"

"Your Highness, I'm sorry. We don't have the people or power to launch a full assault on the Earth Temple. Even if we did we couldn't afford to."

"My wife is there, being held hostage!"

"Your wife is a sage, chosen by the Gods to pray for the power of the Master Sword, which we need if we want to win."

"Then we can appoint another sage!"

"It doesn't work that way, Ralis! Look … right now, Laruto needs to remain in the Earth Temple, until we have freed Hyrule. When that has happened and her service to the Gods is no longer needed, I will personally make sure she is escorted from the Temple and safely reunited with you at Zora's Domain."

"I – no. Zora's Domain is no longer our home. It has been taken from us, ruined by Princess Zelda and Daphnes. My people and I are departing from Hyrule to find a new home."

One of Ralis's children chimed in. "Can we live in the lake under the Dragon Mountain?"

"What?" Ralis asked.

"Remember the stories Mama told of the Dragon Mountain far away? And the magic lake inside of it? You know it's real, Papa. We can go there and be happy. And if we make friends with the Dragon who lives on top of the mountain, he'll protect us!"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Rutela. Let me ask everyone else if they want to live there too."

"Will Mama be coming with us?"

"…."

Ketura wanted to say something to comfort Ralis's children, but she didn't know what. All she knew was that they, like her, wanted their family to be intact. Praying to the Gods must be for the greater good in Impa's mind, she thought. Ketura thought that Ralis's wife should be free like her people and her family.

She found herself panicking over her father again, hoping he wasn't too terribly injured and wishing she could have seen him before Midna whisked him away. He'll be okay, she thought. He'll be okay, and then he can go get the Master Sword and-

 _The Master Sword._

She approached Impa and tapped the older woman on the shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Impa seemed taken aback to see Ketura among everyone else.

"I know about my father's mission, about what he was supposed to retrieve. I also know he was injured in the fight, and he wanted his mission completed as soon as possible." Ketura explained quickly, watching Impa's face shift from confusion to understanding.

"I don't know if it's possible for you to do it, though," said Impa.

"I know I'm not a Hero chosen by the Gods, but I'm related to one. I could at least try."

Impa crossed her arms and furrowed her brow in contemplation, looking down at her feet as she thought it over. Ketura held her breath, fully expecting Impa to refuse her.

"Seline has a map of Faron Woods, with the location of the ruins of the Temple of Time marked on there. Get it from her. Study it. Take it with you … and be careful. I don't want an earful from your father about any of this, so if you think you're in even a small amount of danger, I want you to return to the village immediately. Understand?"

"Got it." Ketura said, feeling both excited and nervous. It was a long trek from there to the Faron Woods, but given how many times had she gone out on her own to explore caves around Kakariko Village, she figured she would be fine.

* * *

Back up on the hill, the rebels made camp for the night and almost everyone was asleep. Ketura, however, sat a ways away behind a boulder, using a small flame in her hand to illuminate the map of Faron Woods. She used her free hand to trace the roadways from South Hyrule Field into into the forest, past a spot marked "Forest Temple/Monkey Grove" and into a big green blob called the Sacred Grove. A handwritten note on the map pointed from the Sacred Grove to the scrawled out words "Follow to Temple" and then another arrow pointing to a triangle labelled "Temple of Time," along with the symbol of the Triforce, enclosed by a hexagon, drawn next to it. She looked over it once, thinking she had it, but she soon became distracted with thoughts about her father and wondering if he would be all right.

"What are you doing?"

Ketura looked up to see Ganondorf standing above her.

"Nothing," she said innocently.

"Just a bit of late night map reading? … Faron Woods, hmm? What's there that has you interested?"

"Buried treasure. I'm gonna get a forest spirit to show me where it is," said Ketura cheekily.

Ganondorf chortled. "Fine, don't tell me. I'm surprised though. Impa's letting you, a girl without any experience in battle or the wilderness, go by herself to the Faron Woods and find secret buried treasure of vast importance to her revolution?"

"I can handle myself." Ketura retorted. When she saw the glint in his eye, she knew what he was going to say next.

"I am fully aware that you can. However, I think you would benefit from having a travelling companion. It's dangerous to go alone."

Ketura raised an eyebrow.

"Shall we leave at dawn, then?"


	10. Nine

**NINE**

Ketura stayed up for another hour considering her options. Surely she could get someone else to go with her; maybe Colin or Dangora would be up to it. It wasn't anything personal, but she could hear Link's voice in her head, getting onto her for taking Ganondorf with her to the Faron Woods. Maybe she could wait for Link to make a full recovery, and then go with him; yet who knew when that would be? She hadn't actually seen how badly he had been injured, so she couldn't estimate how long it would take for him to get better, and if there was a threat of Zelda setting up guards around the Temple of Time then they waiting for too long wouldn't be wise.

She had begun to wonder why Ganondorf was bothering with her. She couldn't think of any reason for him to offer to teach her magic, and it seemed unlikely for him to do something just out of the goodness of his heart – assuming there _was_ any goodness left in there – no, that wasn't a fair assumption. Taking him to Faron Woods would probably be risky … _but_ if he was keen on her in some way, he might open up about what all was on his mind, and his plans, and she could report it back to Impa.

* * *

"You never told me what's in Faron Woods," Ganondorf said to Ketura as the two of them hid under the bridge in Lanayru Field, waiting for another fight between Lizalfos and Bulbins to play out.

"I know, my dad knows, and Impa knows, but otherwise it's supposed to be a secret to everybody," answered Ketura. It occurred to her that she didn't know how to sneak the Master Sword past Ganondorf, or even if she could keep him in the dark about it. He probably would not have wanted to come if he knew that was what she was after.

"A need-to-know basis, eh? Well, how am I supposed to help you find it if I don't know what it is?"

"You're only here so I don't wind up like those Bulbins up there," Ketura said, trying to sound authoritative, although the sounds of ripping flesh and cracking bones coming from up above freaked her out a little bit.

With a smirk, Ganondorf retorted "How do you know I won't be like those Lizalfos and rip you apart at the first chance I get?"

"Why would you teach me how to use magic if you were just going to kill me at the first chance you got?" Ketura fired back.

"You've got me there. If you're dead I can't get what I want. Besides, if I meant to do you harm I would have done so by now."

When the fight ended and the Lizalfos once again victorious, Ketura and Ganondorf continued south, taking a pass they found on the map that Seline must have drawn in on her expeditions. The pass was narrow, with wall-like cliffs on both sides.

"And what is it that you want?" Ketura inquired after an hour of silence between the two.

"Something that is mine, which Zant has no business possessing."

"Which is ….?"

Ganondorf eyed her skeptically. "Let's make a deal. Tell me what's in Faron Woods, and I'll tell you what Zant has."

"Nope, I get it, it's personal," Ketura shrugged. Whatever it was Zant had that Ganondorf wanted, it must have been on the same level of secrecy and significance as the Master Sword. Maybe he was onto her … but what really baffled her was that she needed to be alive in order for him to get his stolen possession back.

"But why _me_? Surely you have more powerful allies in the world."

"I do, you're right about that, but none of them are here."

"So you're hoping to gain some new allies," inferred Ketura. "And _naturally_ you pick the daughter of the guy who killed you."

Ganondorf didn't respond.

The two came through the pass, and emerged in an open area that served as the entryway to the Great Bridge of Hylia that spanned the entire length of Lake Hylia. Guards stood at the entrance, and Ketura saw them inspecting a man's covered wagon, only to find caged Cuccoos inside. She checked the map again, seeing that Seline had drawn in another route: a series of tunnels through the cliffs and rocks surrounding the lake, crossing the Zora River in one place, and leading to South Hyrule Field. Seline had also written on the map next to Lake Hylia: _Three trees – rock._

Ketura scanned the area until she saw three short trees lined in a row, with a rock at the base of the one on the left. She showed the note to Ganondorf, then led him to the trees and the rock. She walked around the rock, looking to see if there was a clue to their next move, until she stepped onto a certain patch of earth and found herself tumbling downwards. Instead of falling endlessly like she expected, she floated gently downwards until her feet touched a solid surface. She found herself in a dark space, so she fumbled around in her bag until she found her lantern. When she had her lantern lit, she saw Ganondorf floating down to join her.

"I think these are our tunnels," she said.

After what felt like hours of following the dark, damp tunnels, the two of them emerged to find themselves standing in Hyrule Field: littered with trees, the Faron Woods to the south and Castle Town to the north, with the Tower of the Gods still a stony white blemish against the blue sky.

"Whose idea was it to build that?" asked Ganondorf as he looked upon the Tower.

"Lord Daphnes," said Ketura. "It's supposed to be a temple and a training ground for soldiers. I don't understand why it needs to be so tall, though."

"This Lord Daphnes is probably compensating for something," said Ganondorf flippantly. Ketura looked at him blankly, trying to figure out what he meant and what Daphnes could be compensating for.

"It's a joke," Ganondorf sighed. "He built a big tower to make up for the fact that he has a small … how do I put this … um … he has a small … arsenal."

"That doesn't make sense," said Ketura, confused. "He's engaged to the Princess and is going to be her Prince Escort. He's the Cultural Minister. He has access to all the army's weapons, and the army is big, so there – there are a lot of weapons."

Ganondorf, visibly uncomfortable, looked away towards the tree line. "Let's keep moving," he said. "… and I guess I have to explain it to you …."

* * *

"Why do men _care_ about that so much?"

As they walked through the forest, Ganondorf explained his compensation joke to Ketura, and it was not what she expected at all. Before long, she felt her face get really hot from embarrassment, and she didn't want to think about how red her face must have been at that moment, and it took every ounce of willpower to resist glancing at that region of his body to see if he was potentially compensating as well.

"Is it like, bigger means manlier, or -"

"I think we would both appreciate a subject change," a flustered Ganondorf interrupted her.

As the sun began to set, Ganondorf spotted the entrance of a cavern behind the trees, and he led Ketura inside, intending to make this place their camp for the night. He gathered some fallen limbs to use for firewood, and Ketura kept her peripheral vision focused on the mouth of the cave, just in case they had any unexpected visitors.

"Start the campfire," Ganondorf instructed her. Nodding in acknowledgment, Ketura created a small flame in her hand and tossed it at the pile of limbs; the flame landed on one of the limbs, and rapidly grew to engulf the rest of them in the pile.

"Good," said Ganondorf, "if you just want to use your abilities to light campfires. Put a little more power behind it."

Ketura shook out her arms, took a deep breath in and out, then clasped her palms together like she had before. She pressed her palms against each other as hard as she could, to the point that she felt tension in her forearms, and concentrated with all her might on releasing a stronger attack as waves of warm magical energy flowed through her arms into her hands. She unleashed a ring of Din's Fire; this time, the flames she cast out were slightly larger and hotter than what she had cast against the soldiers back at the Zora prison camp.

To protect himself from the fire flying his way, Ganondorf raised his hands to form a blue crystalline shield around himself. Any flame that hit the shield dissipated instantly on contact.

"What was that?" Ketura asked him as he lowered his hands, lowering the blue shield with them.

"I conjured a shield so I wouldn't get burned. What did it look like to you?" Ganondorf retorted.

"Like … like that," said Ketura.

"The spell is called Nayru's Love, and I'll teach it to you, don't worry … large outbursts of fire like what you're trying to do take time and practice to master. There are other ways to use Din's Fire you may find more useful." Ganondorf joined Ketura's side and conjured a single flame the size of her head in the palm of his hand; she could feel the intense heat it gave off. He then thrust his hand outward, spraying fire forward, illuminating the inner area of the cave to show a cluster of Keese and small Skulltulas along a wall farther down. Ketura tried to mimic what he did, but on her first attempt her flame only traveled four feet before dissipating.

"You can't just throw it," Ganondorf told her as he positioned himself to be standing right behind her. "Keep actively channeling through your arm to your hand."

Heeding his advice, Ketura conjured another flame in her palm and channeled magic energy to her hand, even as she thrust it forward. A stream of flames shot forth, their intensity changing with the strength of the energy she channeled. Seeing that she could do it excited her; she let out a small laugh, and as she did she let out a burst of hotter, larger fire. She stopped shortly after, ducking down as a few irate Keese flew from the back of the cave out into the woods.

She hopped back up, ready to try again, but it didn't take long for her to notice how drained she felt. Nonetheless, she conjured up another flame, but it was as small as her thumbnail.

"I think you're done for now," said Ganondorf.

"Why?" she asked, shaking her hand to extinguish the fire.

"You've used up most of your available energy, by the looks of it. Surely somewhere in this forest grows the plant whose extract is used to make Green Potions. If we find some, you can chew on the leaves and get some energy restored … I know, I make it look easy, don't I? But I've been at this much, much longer than you have."

"So I need to start carrying Green Potions wherever I go?" Ketura inferred.

"Certainly wouldn't be a bad idea. Learn to brew them yourself. We'll take some of the plant back to the village with us."

Ketura dug through her bag to find the parcels of food she had packed. She tossed one to Ganondorf and opened another one to find a mutton sandwich and a slice of cheese. This was one of the sandwiches she had originally packed to take to Castle Town, as it had used up the last of the mutton she had. The meat was bland, if only because she couldn't afford to spice it, and the bread was stale. The cheese, slightly dried out as it was, at least had some flavor to it.

"Sorry the food's not very good," she said meekly.

"I've had worse. And if what I saw of your house was any indication, I know you and your mother weren't exactly living like royalty," said Ganondorf after swallowing a bite.

"Yeah, but we always managed to scrape by," Ketura replied casually. She thought of all the times she went to bed hungry, and her one pair of shoes that she wore for another year after one of them developed a hole, and how there was only enough money saved up for one life-saving dose of medicine when she and her mother both came down with the Cuccoo flu.

She didn't speak for a while, opting instead to stare blankly into the campfire as she ate, and she thought about her mother. Maybe now that she was dead, she was somewhere comfortable and warm ….

"Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Sure," answered Ganondorf.

"What- what's death like? I mean, what's the afterlife like? Did you see people who went before you, or heaven, or …."

"No. Death is … nothing. Literal nothing," said Ganondorf distantly. "There is no heaven, no hell, no in-between. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit."

Ketura merely looked at him, unsure of how she felt about what he told her.

"I find it ironic and comforting that all of the past Heroes, Princesses, and Sages who opposed me are also subject to that nothingness. If that isn't proof that the Gods don't care about us, I don't know what is … no? I find that statement usually gets a rise out of Hylians." Ganondorf studied her face curiously.

"No, I agree with you. I don't think the Gods care about us, and I don't understand why people think they do – my dad especially." Ketura said glibly.

"Exactly! Not even the ones they choose to serve them are rewarded with good lives."

A beat of silence passed.

"You prayed, though, when you saw my unearthed corpse," Ganondorf commented.

"Well, up until now I used to think they were kinder to the dead than they were to the living," she answered. "That, and it's the law to pray for the desecrated dead and rebury them if you can."

"Ah, I see. Well, now you know that we all end up in the ground and sleeping for eternity. Nobody is rewarded, and nobody is punished. The only consequences we suffer for our actions are the ones we incur during this life. So … in the grand scheme of things, I am getting away with every terrible thing I have ever done, or will do."

Ketura scrutinized his expression as he spoke; he didn't seem the least bit remorseful or apprehensive about the terrible things he had done or might do. "Do you have to, though? Do more bad things?"

"Don't try to redeem or fix me," he said shortly. "Instead, consider that there is a lot less black and white in the world. Morality is very, very gray, and people do bad things for good reasons or good things for bad reasons."

"And you did bad things for good reasons," Ketura said.

"I believe so, yes," answered Ganondorf. "History doesn't appear to agree with me. I've been painted as another greedy Gerudo thief who just happened to gain power beyond human comprehension and used it to enslave Hyrule and have its wealth all to myself. Which is far from the truth, of course."

"You wanted to save your people, right?"

"That was all I wanted, and I would do whatever it took to get there. Raze villages, steal riches, kill kings, kidnap princesses … you know, Ketura, there really isn't much difference between myself and this rebellion we found ourselves caught up in."

Ketura eyed him skeptically, but took a moment to consider what he said. "I guess you're right about that," she conceded, followed by a yawn. "Probably why you want to help them."

"I just want to get to Zant. But you … it's obvious. You're only here to be with your father," said Ganondorf.

"So what if I am? I mean, I believe in what the rebellion's trying to accomplish and all, but … yeah. If it weren't for my dad I probably wouldn't be involved."

"Look at you, doing something good for the wrong reason," Ganondorf said with a smirk.

"What?" Ketura raised an eyebrow, put off by his statement.

"You're doing something noble and revolutionary, something that if successful could help many other people, but you're doing it for your own benefit. Not for the sake of being noble or revolutionary."

Ketura shook her head. "So are you."

"I never denied it!" Ganondorf paused.

"Look at us. I half expected this trip into the forest to mostly consist of you being quiet and scared of me, but I think we've already made quite the connection. Turns out we have quite a bit in common after all," he continued.

Ketura had nothing to say in response. Once again, he was right. At this point, she had more in common with Ganondorf than she did with her father – she probably _knew_ Ganondorf better than she knew her father. She couldn't figure out whether to be fascinated, uncomfortable with this, unnerved – maybe a combination of those. Maybe she wasn't cut out to sneakily pick his brain to figure out what he was up to, or maybe she just needed to wait a little longer.


	11. Ten

**TEN**

Ketura stood on a grassy plain that extended as far as her eyes could see. The sky was clear, a crisp blue, with not a cloud in sight. The sun shone overhead, and the area felt so warm and bright it was almost surreal. What was this place, she wondered as she took a few cautious steps forward. If anyone or anything was coming, she would surely see it. A breeze went by, nudging her bangs slightly and whistling lowly in her ear.

Up from the sky fell a bright red light, directly above her head. Ketura jumped out of the way, and once the red light fell to her level it began to circle her. Then, a blue light fell from the sky, followed by a green one. The blue and green lights joined the red light in circling Ketura, fusing together to form a trichromatic ring around her.

She reached out to touch the ring, and her hand passed right through the green portion of it. She tried again as the red portion passed by, and once again her hand completely phased through.

The sky suddenly turned dark. The sun disappeared. Off in the distance she saw clouds gathering, with streaks of lightning shooting out of them, followed by a booming thunderous clap. She walked in the direction of the clouds, the colorful ring still encircling her. Although the clouds looked like they were far away, she reached them in a matter of seconds. A large fire, flames hot and at least ten feet tall, raged underneath the clouds as lightning struck the ground around it. Ketura thought she saw the flames flicker briefly in the shape of a person, yet it came and went too fast for her to tell.

The lights of the ring around her shot off, one by one, into the fire and disappeared. The flames grew taller and spread, inching closer to Ketura. She watched the fire grow, and backed away from it, only to find that the conflagration grew faster than she could get away from it.

As the fire almost overtook her, Ketura woke up.

* * *

Early morning sunlight poured into the cave, a welcome sight after escaping her dream. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, feeling something on top of her shift. Looking down at her lap, she saw Ganondorf's thick black cloak.

"You were shivering in the middle of the night," he said, looking over to her from the mouth of the cave.

"Thanks," she replied, tossing the cloak back to him. He caught it and draped it over himself. From there, Ketura reached for her bag, only to find that it was wide open, contents spilled out.

"Did you go through my bag while I slept?" she asked him.

Ganondorf, bemused, answered "No! Why would I do that?"

"Because …" Ketura took stock of all of the items from her bag laying on the ground: paper, pencil, bandages, spare socks, a hair tie, thirty Rupees, a sanitary napkin that was no longer useful since it was covered in dirt, and Seline's map of Hyrule. That was it.

"My food is gone. All of it."

"Well, I'm not one for midnight snacks, or sleep eating, so it wasn't me." Ganondorf said with a shrug.

With a defeated groan, Ketura threw her supplies back into her bag and slung it over her shoulders.

"How could we let this happen? I mean, how did something sneak in and take all my food?" she vented as she picked up her sword and joined Ganondorf at the mouth of the cave.

"There should be plenty of edible plants in the forest," said Ganondorf calmly. "We'll find them on the way to wherever it is we're going."

The path further into the woods took them past a spring, whose water seemed to glow with an ethereal light. Ketura thought the entire area around the spring was pleasantly green from the grass and the leaves, quiet and serene, almost undisturbed - a great contrast to the dry grass and browning foliage along the path. They passed a dilapidated-looking cabin, where a man sat outside by a firepit. "Want some soup?" he offered, but Ketura politely declined him. "No problem. It's terrible anyway" was his response to her.

Ganondorf pointed out the plant that he said could be used to brew Green Potions: amidst the yellowing grass and fallen leaves, the small bulbs remained deeply verdant. Ketura plucked as many of these little bulbs as she could find, and chewed on some of the leaves as she walked. The leaves were perhaps the bitterest thing she had ever tasted, to the point of her wanting to spit them out prematurely, but she felt small pulses of magical energy spread from her tongue through the rest of her body as she chewed on them.

Eventually, Ketura stepped on something slippery. She looked down to see a white square of thin tissue-like paper laying on the ground, with bread crumbs and oily residue from mutton covering its surface.

"Whatever took my food has been through here," she concluded.

"Does it matter?"

"It does matter! There's something very dangerous in this forest that can get in and out unnoticed, and make off with my stuff. Who knows what that thing can do, or what else is out here, waiting to get us –"

Branches rustled loudly overhead, startling Ketura. She flung her arm out, sending a burst of Din's Fire shooting into the trees. The burst flew right through a hole between branches.

"You are going to burn this entire forest down if you're not careful," Ganondorf warned her, reaching out to grab her wrist and gently lowering her arm.

A grayish-white mass of fur tumbled out of the tree branches. Landing on two feet, it stood up, revealing itself to be a monkey. This monkey held half a sandwich in its mouth.

"A _monkey?!_ " exclaimed Ketura.

The monkey chirped at her, letting the sandwich fall out of its mouth as it did, and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Ah yes, the infamous monkeys of the Faron Woods. They sneak into caves, steal food to lure their prey, and then they strike with fangs of venom and razor-sharp claws," said Ganondorf sardonically. Ketura, far from amused, shot him a dirty look.

The monkey cried at them, more high-pitched this time, and gestured to them to follow it. It then bounded away, moving on all fours. Ketura took off after it, Ganondorf following behind. The monkey led them into a dense pack of trees, down steep slopes, across rope bridges that spanned a seemingly endless chasm, all the way to the opening of a dark, very densely packed grove. Ketura had tried to keep up with how much the monkey was leading them off-course, wondering _why_ they were following the stupid thing at all, until she noticed the worn, faded sign by the entrance to the grove.

ENTRANCE TO THE SACRED GROVE - DANGER – MONSTERS AHEAD

Evidently paying no heed to the sign, the monkey signaled for the two humans to follow it into the dense patch of forest ahead before charging in.

"Sacred Grove?" Ganondorf said as he read the sign, clearly confused and annoyed.

"This is where we need to go. I was just about ready to suggest that we head back and start over," said Ketura.

The monkey continued to lead them, taking them through winding paths, over ledges, through what appeared to be the ruins of an old temple that had been overrun with vines, and past a small pond. Along the way, Ketura cut pieces of twine and wrapped them around tree trunks and carved an arrow into the bark, indicating the direction from which they came.

"Where are you taking us?" Ketura called out to the monkey.

The monkey chirped something in response, but didn't change course.

"Damn creature better not get us lost here," muttered Ganondorf. "Does your map show you how to navigate these woods?"

"Nope," said Ketura plainly, wishing that it did. Perhaps the scouts had never come this way, she thought.

Eventually, the monkey led them into a clearing, where a set of walls surrounded a broken pillar. Standing at the base of the pillar were three more monkeys, trembling and crying in fear at the grayish wooden puppets that encircled them. Another creature stood on top of the pillar: a childlike imp, wearing a straw hat and clothing sewn from leaves and grass, bobbing from side to side as it played a trumpet.

Ketura noticed a symbol on the pillar: the Triforce, enclosed by a hexagon. She checked her map and noticed that the same symbol had been drawn on the map at the location of the Temple of Time.

"I think we're here," Ketura whispered.

The monkey pointed at the pillar, screeching desperately. The imp noticed them, and it interrupted its current song to blast out a long note. More wooden puppets sprang up and closed in on them.

"You have got to be kidding me," Ganondorf groaned. The monkey cowered like its friends at the pillar.

"Start poking around. I'll handle this," Ganondorf said to Ketura before swinging an arm across his body, unleashing a magical attack that left the puppets in pieces. Ketura ran off, circling the perimeter of the walls, to find that they were completely sealed and the only way to go was back into the grove. She started on another go-around, hearing the monkeys cry and the imp blow another long note on its horn. She noticed a hole at the base of the wall, which looked just big enough for her to squeeze through. She removed the sword she had brought with her, propped it up against the wall, and crawled through the hole.

More ruins lay on the other side of the wall: crumbling staircases, columns, and structures covered in vines and leaves and moss that were interspersed with chunks of weathered stone on the ground. Laying on the staircase was a large faded banner, bearing an embroidered Triforce insignia and rips in several places. A large grassy open area lay in between sets of walls; at one end was a doorway with two statues standing at either side, bearing spears and appearing to be sentries of some sort. They couldn't be real sentries, Ketura though, as the door they guarded stood wide open.

Ketura walked across the grounds, going around a stone plaque in the grass that bore the Triforce crest, and approached the open doorway between the two statues. Part of her feared that the statues would suddenly spring to life and keep her from passing, yet she walked right past them, up a set of stairs … and then she paused. Just a few yards away, upright in a small stone pedestal, was the Master Sword, its silver blade shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

Her stomach tightened as she slowly walked towards it; she couldn't figure out if she felt some kind of awe to be in the presence of the legendary sword wielded by previous heroes including her father, or if she felt nervous. It was probably nerves. She told Impa that she _might_ be able to grab it, so what if she couldn't? She and Ganondorf would have come all this way for nothing. Furthermore, she'd have to cook up a story for Ganondorf about how the super important thing that the rebellion really needed wasn't really here, and there was no telling how he would react to that. And what if he followed her in to see her at the sword?

She stood right in front of the Master Sword, her stomach still tight and her heart pounding. She reached forward and wrapped her hands around the hilt … suddenly the base of the pedestal glowed with an ethereal light. Immediately she pulled up on the hilt, not wanting to wait and see what this light meant.

The Master Sword slid out of its pedestal effortlessly. She expected it to be too heavy for her, but Ketura found that the sword felt perfect in her hands: just the right weight and balance. A relieved smile on her face, she swung the sword around a few times to get a feel for it, and she admired the blade's silvery glow as it glided through the air under her direction. If it weren't for her father, she would assume that this sword was meant just for her.

The ethereal light at the base of the pedestal subsided, and a blue-and-gold sheath materialized at Ketura's feet. She picked it up and slid the sword inside before making her way back into the open area of the ruins. The first thing she noticed was the old banner on the staircase, and she made her way over to it. Using the sword, she cut off a piece of the banner and used it to wrap up the sheathed blade until it looked like a long, indistinct, shapeless blob.

* * *

On the other side of the wall, she found Ganondorf striking down yet another group of puppets before he finally shot a spray of flames at the imp. The imp hopped up to dodge it, and when it landed back on top of the pillar it giggled.

"That was fun. Let's play again sometime!" the imp said before jumping up again, twirling midair, and teleporting away.

"WHAT?" Ganondorf shouted angrily after the imp vanished. "Get back here, you piece of –"

"I got it!" Ketura called to him, holding the wrapped-up Master Sword up above her head. She grabbed her other sword off the wall and threw it over her shoulders.

"Good. Let's get out of here! I've had it with these monkeys and these damn skull children."

"Ah, you're not telling me they gave you a hard time, are you?" Ketura asked, poking fun at him, as she rejoined his side.

"No! Just annoying, that's all. They weren't even a challenge for my skills."

"Good to know that the legendary Prince of Darkness hasn't lost his edge," Ketura continued.

"Prince? They call me a _Prince?!_ I was a king …."

Ketura shrugged.

The two found their way through the woods, following the trees that Ketura had marked with twine and arrows, until they made their way out of the Lost Woods. Ketura kept the Master Sword held close to her chest, glancing between it and Ganondorf, wondering to herself how well she could keep it secret.


	12. Eleven

**ELEVEN**

Ketura knew that when she went to sleep that night, she had the Master Sword – still wrapped up in the old banner – tucked securely under her arm. Yet when she woke from another strange dream (storm clouds gathering around her and a shadowy figure in the distance) she noticed it was gone. Panicked, she sat up and looked around, until she found Ganondorf sitting directly across from her, staring intently at her … and the unwrapped Master Sword lying at his feet.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"I understand why you didn't tell me what you were looking for," he said, his tone not threatening, but indicating his disappointment.

"I- ah – it's supposed to be a –"

"Hush. You wanted to make your father proud, and you will. Or he might be alarmed that someone besides himself is able to wield this blade. There's no telling. He could use any sword to fight his enemies, though …."

"Zant?" Ketura offered meekly. Ganondorf looked from her to the Master Sword, and his expression softened upon realization.

"I should have known," he sighed as he kicked the sword away. Ketura reached forward and grabbed it, pulling it closer to her with trembling hands. "I'm not angry at you, Ketura. You're only doing what you think is right and will help your father … I suppose I'll have to tread carefully so I don't wind up at the receiving end of that blade … again."

"My dad just thinks it's his by divine right," Ketura said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Hmm? Well if Hylian lore is true, then only one chosen by the gods can pull the Master Sword from its pedestal and use it to vanquish evil. What do you think it means that _you_ were able to?"

"Maybe Hylian lore is wrong, and it's hereditary," said Ketura.

"Maybe … or perhaps that sword is no longer Link's divine right. We'll see soon enough, won't we?"

Ketura didn't respond immediately. She looked down at the sword, thinking about how what Ganondorf said made sense. The Master Sword came out of its pedestal for her, and it felt perfect in her hands, so maybe it _was_ her turn to wield it. But why her? Her father was still alive, and capable of vanquishing evil.

"You think I could be a new Hero? Why don't you just kill me now?"

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. "We've been over this. You're no good to me if you're dead. Perhaps it's destined that your father – or you – will use the sword against Zant and not me."

"This is actually working out pretty well for you isn't it?" Ketura responded. "One of us kills Zant, and you get back what he stole from you – which reminds me. You now know what I was after, so what was it that you're after?"

Ganondorf sighed. "You had your opportunity to know and you passed it up."

"Wa-what? That isn't … I mean … I should at least know what it is if I'm supposedly instrumental to you getting it back."

He glared at her. "Forget it."

* * *

Upon arriving in the Hidden Village the next day, Ketura instantly broke into a sprint towards the main house. She threw the door of the house open to find Impa, Ashei, and Zahrain gathered around the couch, where a map sat propped up against a board.

"I've got it," she said, panting heavily as she held up the wrapped-up Master Sword.

Impa furrowed her brow. "Good. Glad to see you safe."

"Yeah … wasn't much trouble … where's my dad?"

"Upstairs, in bed," said Impa, pointing into the kitchen. Ketura took off, going through the kitchen, up the stairs, and into the bedroom she shared with her father.

Link lay in bed, eyes closed, with a bandage wrapped around his forehead and larger bandages on his chest. A blanket covered the rest of his bare torso and the lower half of his body. Midna sat next to his head, keeping her eyes trained on his face. Luda sat in a chair nearby, her black hair pulled back in a loose bun and a book in her lap. When Ketura walked into the room, Luda's eyes flickered over to her.

"Ketura," Luda said softly as she stood up and crossed the room. "He's been asking for you. I didn't tell him where you went."

"How is he?" Ketura asked before glancing over at her sleeping father.

"Better than he was when he first got here. The potion I'm brewing right now will be ready in a few hours, and once he drinks it he'll be completely healed, but for now I've stopped the bleeding as much as I can and kept him in bed."

Ketura felt a wave of relief rush over her. "Thank you so much," she said before stepping aside to let Luda leave the room. Afterwards, she went to her father's bedside and sat in the chair; the minute her backside made contact with the seat, Link's eyes fluttered open.

He smiled weakly.

"Ketura … you're here …" he said, his voice feeble.

Dropping the Master Sword on the floor, Ketura sprang out of the chair and knelt at his bed side. "Dad …" she whispered, smiling, trying to fight back tears. She placed her hand on top of his and looked up at Midna, who nodded to her in greeting.

"It'll take … more than what was given to me … to keep me down," said Link with a sly chortle. "I hope you didn't … worry too much …."

"No, don't worry. I, uh, kept myself busy," said Ketura. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Link's smile widened slightly. "Good girl."

Ketura nodded. "I actually went to go get something for you," she said, sliding away from Link and reaching for the Master Sword. She unwrapped it and lifted it up to display it for him, and his eyes grew wide.

"The Master Sword … Ketura … you didn't … how did you … did you go by yourself?" Link tried to sit up, but lowered himself back down as his face contorted into a pained wince.

"Yeah. I did. But everything went okay," she said instantly, watching Link's eyes flicker from worry to relief and then back to worry.

"Happy to hear … but please don't wander off by yourself again."

She nodded. "I promise."

After giving his hand another gentle squeeze, Ketura stepped out briefly to grab her stack of assigned reading out of the library. On her way out, she noticed a book in the shelf titled _The Sorcerer King's Apprentice,_ and she added it to her pile. She went back into Link's room and sat on the edge of his bed, and the two of them exchanged stories about their encounters with the more mischievous denizens of the Faron Woods.

"No way. All those monkeys formed a long chain and helped you swing across a giant gorge?" Ketura said incredulously.

"That's right," said Link.

"Yup, and then he almost got eaten by a giant plant monster," Midna added.

"It had two heads - or was it three? I don't remember," said Link. He glanced down at his shoulder, which bore scars left over from some type of bite mark from a giant set of teeth.

"Beats me. I've slept since then," replied Midna.

Once the conversation died down, Link dozed off and Midna retreated into his shadow. Ketura returned to her chair and finished reading through the second volume of the history of Hyrule's lost peoples, finding herself totally engrossed in the account of the Zora's civil war and the restructuring of their monarchy.

Next, she reached for the slim book containing Zelda IV's writings. Most of it was her commentary on scriptures in the Accords of the Goddesses and how it could apply to being a wise ruler, which Ketura found dry and uninteresting, and she wondered why Impa wanted her to read it. When she reached the essay describing how Zelda justified the near-obliteration of the Gerudo people in retaliation to Ganondorf's treachery, though, she understood.

 _In summary, their way of life is not compatible with the Hylian way of life. They abhor the Goddesses that are worthy of exaltation, and cling to their uncivilized pagan ways and lascivious immoralities. Their witches practice the most horrible magic. With their proclivity for thievery, they pose a threat to the realm's security and commerce. Link, great man that he is, constantly reminds me of how not all of them are evil, citing Nabooru as an example. Nabooru is an exception, being a Sage, and I am willing to pardon any other Gerudo who renounces their ways and fully assimilates to the greater Hylian culture. Yet their culture has no place in a peaceful world, and as long as it exists and the next man born to them is crowned their king, we risk another crisis like the one we just endured._

Ketura felt uncomfortable reading that passage. On a shallow level it made sense, but then she remembered that because of this Zelda's paranoia many innocent girls and women had suffered and died. And why hadn't the Hero of Time done anything to stop it? The answer was found in the next entry, which surprisingly had nothing to do with politics.

 _Link's second wife, Valeri Lykos, has finally grown on me. I like her almost as much as I liked Malon ...  
_

 _… their son is a boy after his father's own heart. Young Nathaniel seems trapped by life in the royal court. He often speaks of exploring the countryside, riding horseback, conquering evil just as his father did …._

 _… Link returned from battle against the Great Helmaroc. He has lost his eye, and now rests in the palace infirmary …._

 _… I witnessed the most disturbing thing today: an act of sacrilege and blasphemy committed by Nathaniel against his father. While standing at the entrance to the infirmary, I watched as Nathaniel took his sleeping father's hand and seized the Triforce of Courage for himself! Nathaniel said that he would carry on in his father's place. His intentions are noble, but Farore had not chosen him to wield that which rightfully belonged to his father..._

 _… Link has gone off searching for Nathaniel, who was last seen heading for the Lost Woods. Valeri seems so distraught, not knowing if she will see her son or husband again. Link is still too weak, she tells me. And he left before she could tell him that she was once again with child …._

There was no indication in Zelda's writings that the Hero of Time ever came back from the Lost Woods. That must have left her free to exile, imprison, or execute as many Gerudo as she pleased. His son Nathaniel was not mentioned again either.

Ketura slammed the book shut, tossed it on the floor, and gazed blankly at it. It seemed to her that anyone chosen by the gods to be a Hero had all of their work and determination rewarded with lives of misery and betrayal. Both her father and the Hero of Time seemed to be indications of that, although she didn't know much about other past Heroes to make the generalization. Nonetheless, it was a rotten deal to her, and she fervently hoped – almost like a silent prayer – that this burden would remain with Link and not pass to her.

* * *

Luda returned later with a bowl full of a creamy orange potion, which she spoon-fed to Link. After she finished administering it, she told him that although he would be fully healed by morning she wanted him to remain in bed for a few more days. Ketura went downstairs briefly to grab dinner for them (she noticed Ganondorf come in, grab food, stare at her in an attempt to get her attention, but finally leave in a sullen mood) and returned; she, Link, and Midna ate in relative silence.

"Enjoying your reading so far?" Link asked, nodding towards Ketura's stack of books on her bed.

"Yeah, it's pretty interesting," said Ketura. "Lots of cool history I didn't know, but I got why they didn't teach it in school."

Link's eyes scanned the stack of books carefully. "Never was big on reading myself, but it's a good habit … _'The Sorcerer King's Apprentice.'_ Hmm, interesting choice," Link commented as he read the book's title. "Why does Impa want you to read _that_?" he asked, his tone indicating disdain.

"Oh, I just picked that because it looked interesting. I'll probably start it next."

"One of my cellmates had the book smuggled in for him, and he passed it to me when he was done. I only read it because I was bored. And it's not the sort of thing you need to be reading."

"Why not?"

"It's not suitable. I'm not talking about perfectly innocent ideas that make cultural ministers upset and lead them to tighten censorship laws. Those are in there too. No – the main character kills the innocent citizens of an entire country and justifies it as being for 'the greater good.' There, I spoiled it for you." said Link in response.

"Okay, but from your viewpoint the main character isn't justified. But maybe they think what they're doing is the right thing, and maybe the author's point is that it's okay to do horrible things for good reasons?"

Link shook his head. "Please read something else."

"Dad, I'm not actually going to go massacre a village if I read this –"

"Ketura." Link cut her off, speaking with all of the fatherly authority he could muster.

With a sigh, Ketura grabbed _The Sorcerer King's Apprentice_ and went back to the library. She saw another book in the shelves, covered in a book jacket, entitled _Sworn Brothers._ The two books appeared to be about the same size in thickness and height. Now extra curious about the first book she had picked out, Ketura took the jacket off of _The Sworn Brothers_ and put it on _The Sorcerer King's Apprentice._

Mom was never this controlling, she thought resentfully.

* * *

Later at night, when the inhabitants of the village had settled down to sleep, she tiptoed out of bed and went outside. After having spent hours in the house curled up in that chair, she was ready to take this opportunity to stretch out her legs for a bit. She walked on down the main road, intending on going up and down a couple of times before returning to bed, until she heard someone calling her name in a hushed tone from the entrance to the tunnels out of the village.

"Ketura!"

She approached Ganondorf, who wore his cloak and stood in the shadows of the entrance to the tunnel.

"Yeah?" she said as she joined his side.

"Are you only going to notice me when the sun is down and everyone else sleeps?" he asked her.

"For now. I mean, my dad is a total control freak. And I'm sure he'll have people watching me and what I do, to keep me safe or something like that."

Ganondorf nodded. "How is he?"

"Better. He should be fully recovered by morning, and then you two can keep insulting each other to your heart's content."

"Come with me," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her through the tunnels until they came out to Lanayru Field. Moonlight and starlight provided the night some illumination, and danced off the waters of the Zora River. A small group of Lizalfos camped underneath a tree in the distance, and a large insect flew right by Ketura's face – it glowed, and she could have sworn it was made of gold, but it zoomed by too quickly for her to be able to tell.

"What are we doing here?" she asked him.

"Continuing your training, of course. Tonight I'm going to show you how to cast Nayru's Love … but first, I'm going to go over to those Lizalfos and blow off some steam. I guess Impa wasn't aware that I went to the Faron Woods with you, and she assumed that I just wandered off somewhere on my own. She was … quite cross."

"I probably should have told her," said Ketura sheepishly.

"You didn't need to … those rebels need to hurry up and find Zant. I'm growing impatient."


	13. Twelve

**TWELVE**

"Ketura, wake up."

She stirred slightly, opening her eyes but then closing them again when the morning light pouring through the windows was too much for them.

"Mmmh," she groaned.

"Ketura, it's ten o'clock in the morning. You're going to miss breakfast."

She rolled over to see the half-Goron Dangora standing by her bedside, looking down at her with her small, dark eyes.

"Ten o'clock? Ugh," said Ketura as she sat up. "I know I was up late, but –" letting a yawn out interrupted her sentence "- but I didn't think I was up _that_ late."

"Why were you up so late?" asked Dangora. She backed away so Ketura could stand up and reach for the hair tie on the nightstand. She glanced over to Link's bed to see him still asleep, as well as a sleeping Midna under his arm.

"Reading," she said as she put her hair in a sloppy braid and draped it over her right shoulder.

Down in the kitchen, Ketura and Dangora got themselves bowls of spiced porridge, cooked by two older Gerudo women, and made their way into the main room. Most everyone else in the house at that time were Gerudo: Ketura saw Zahrain and his twin sisters on the couch eating, three other women across from them on the floor, and a pair who stood in the corner, glancing over to Zahrain and giggling.

"You probably haven't noticed yet, but the Gerudo eat breakfast later than everyone else," Dangora whispered to Ketura.

"No, I haven't," said Ketura.

"That's because most Hylians don't like eating with them. Even the Hylians with the rebellion. Some prejudices don't die, I guess. But I think they're friendly."

Almost as if it were cued, Levali waved to Dangora. "Good morning!" She then waved them over. Dangora and Ketura sat on the floor by the couch.

"Good morning to you too, Ketura!" Levali then greeted Ketura.

"Morning," said Ketura, still groggy. She noticed something different about Levali's appearance: a beaded necklace with a large star-shaped pendant.

"Nice necklace," she commented.

"Thanks! Faruu made it," said Levali, giving a subtle point to one of the two Gerudo who had been checking out Zahrain. "It's a _sadiqet_ necklace, a token of friendship. In our culture, we make and give them to anyone we consider a treasured friend."

"I'd say Faruu wants more than friendship with you, sis, but she's been eyeing me all morning," Zahrain added.

"Well, she's thirty-six, and her clock is ticking," commented Nabira.

Ketura looked at Nabira quizzically.

"To find a man to help her have children," Levali explained in a whisper.

"It's both a burden and a perk of being the male of the century," said Zahrain. "Helps maintain some blood purity. But Faruu's gonna have to wait a week, because the extra space in my bed is being filled every night for the next six days." He then looked over to one of the women on the other side of the room and winked. The woman on the receiving end winked back and blew a kiss. From there, he glanced to the other side of the room and then asked his sisters in a low voice, "Has Amal said anything to you two yet about spending some time with me?"

The twins exchanged apprehensive glances before Nabira spoke. "Well, I talked to her yesterday, and … she has options now. For the first time in our entire history, we have options, and you have competition."

"She was once a member of the Cult of Dragmire, after all –"

"Are you kidding me?!"

A tense, uncomfortable silence filled the air.

"So, uh, what do you have planned for today?" Dangora asked, slightly uncomfortable with the current discussion.

"Meetings with Impa all day. It's going to be _so_ boring." Zahrain said. "And I guess talk to Faruu," he added, glancing over to her.

"We found this spell in a book we want to try," Nabira said, referring to herself and her sister. "What about you, Dangora?"

"I'm just going to help Mr. Barnes make bombs. Maybe I'll hear from my mom today? She's supposed to be writing me soon."

Relieved to hear that her mother was still alive, Ketura said to Dangora "That must be nice, still getting to talk to her. Isn't it risky, though?"

"She's getting her hands on important information," said Dangora. "But yes, it is nice. And she worries about me all the time, being away from home. She can't fight anymore but she wants to help however she can."

Although she was curious, Ketura didn't ask why Dangora's mother couldn't fight.

When she finished eating, Ketura took her bowl back to the kitchen and washed it before handing it to one of the women who cooked. "It was delicious. Thanks for making it," she said, instantly putting a smile on the cook's face.

* * *

She went back up to the bedroom just as Luda exited, holding an empty bottle in one hand and a bedpan in the other. After exchanging smiles and greetings, Ketura walked into the room to find her father sitting upright while Midna helped him put on an oversized white shirt. She caught a glimpse of diverse scar tissues all over his torso: some looked like it came from being slashed, or stabbed, or bitten, or burned.

"Sleep better last night?" asked Link.

"Yeah, kinda," Ketura answered. "Didn't mean to sleep so late, though ..."

"It's fine. Not like you have anything to do until Luda gives me permission to get out of bed," said Link. "I guess you can practice using a sword on your own." He paused. "Actually, could you help me with something?"

"Yeah, sure," she said.

"Impa wants me to write a speech and deliver it to all people around Hyrule. It's just … I don't know where to start. I never really cared for public speaking, and I don't know what I would say, and-"

"No problem. I'd love to help you out, Dad. Maybe … maybe we could pattern it after the address that the Zora General Rutan gave to his army before marching on Zora's Domain? There was a civil war, and Rutan's side won –" Ketura grabbed the history volume off the nightstand and flipped to the page where the transcript of Rutan's speech was printed. "It goes like this," she said, before reading out loud.

"Sounds … noble. Inspiring. I like it," said Link as he mulled over what he just heard. "One question: what does 'echelon' mean?"

"Um, in this context, Rutan was talking about the divide between the upper and lower classes in Zora society – you know, some were super rich and others were super poor, and that was unacceptable to him."

"Ah, okay. Don't know how I feel about using a big word like that, though," said Link.

"Let's actually write your speech before worrying about big or little words, Dad."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Link and Ketura had come up with a rough draft of the speech, just in time for Impa, Zahrain, and Ashei to want to hold a meeting. Thinking she would spend the rest of the day reading (but leaving her books in the bedroom by accident), Ketura made her way down to the kitchen. Once downstairs, she got a glass of water to drink, but froze as she saw a bald Hylian man and a Gerudo woman arguing furiously by the entrance to the living room.

"What did you say to me?!"

"Take it easy, lady. It's a compliment."

"Didn't sound like one to me. Trust me, no woman of any race would be flattered by that."

Ketura tried sliding along the wall to avoid being caught in the middle of it, but the Gerudo woman saw her. "Hey you! Can I get another woman's opinion on something?"

"Um … sure," said Ketura uncertainly as the man leered at her and the woman huffed in anger.

"How would you feel if a man told you he wouldn't mind 'exploring your temple?'"

"Uh … I don't understand … you don't have a temple, do you? No, you're not actually a temple. That doesn't even make sense, as a compliment or as a statement at all." Ketura turned to the man. "Why can't you say that you think her eyes are pretty or something?" She turned back to the Gerudo woman and instantly noticed her gorgeous, bright green eyes.

"Thank you!" the Gerudo woman said, vindicated.

"Oh, look who's getting uppity and picky now that you have not one but _two_ men of your own kind to whore yourself to!" the Hylian man shot back.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"Hey, why don't you just leave her alone?" Ketura interjected. Both of the arguers glared at her.

"This isn't any of your business, squirt!" the man shouted.

Impa barreled down the stairs and into the kitchen. "What is going on in here?" she roared.

Both the Hylian man and the Gerudo woman started talking over each other, telling Impa their version of events. Ketura dashed back up the stairs, went into her room, and stopped in the doorway when she saw Link talking to Ashei and Zahrain, who sat on her bed.

"Am I interrupting? I can take my books to the other room," she asked, figuring that something important and top-secret was going on.

"No, not at all, go ahead," said Link softly. Ketura crossed over to scoop her books off the nightstand and step out. She stopped and pressed herself along the outside wall of the room, seeing if she could hear what they were talking about.

"Anyway, Telma sent me a message a few days ago that another base is forming along Lake Hylia. I like knowing that our numbers are growing," Zahrain said.

"Now is she in charge of recruiting, or does she just oversee the process?" Link asked for clarification.

"Neither. She sends out messages and manages spies."

"Telma is in charge of the spy network? Wow," Link said, sounding impressed.

"Yeah. Turns out a bar makes a pretty good cover for any collection of characters to go in and out and be seen there together without arousing suspicion." Ashei added.

"And this letter says …" Zahrain began, pausing briefly, "Five towns across Hyrule have been utterly annihilated – wait, what? Eyes in the area report that nothing was left, and nobody survived: just large black spots in the earth where the villages used to be, and an unearthly darkness hanging over them. These towns, we had people there …."

"Sounds like something Zant would do," said Link.

"How do we know it's him?" Ashei sounded appalled.

"That's just his style." Link answered grimly.

Having heard enough, Ketura went to the library and opened up _The Sorcerer King's Apprentice._ She zoomed through the pages, getting herself lost in the story of a sorcerer who took an orphan boy as his protégé as they conspired to overthrow a king and take power for themselves. The book ended just as Link said it had, with the sorcerer killing almost everyone in the kingdom in order to defeat the king, including his apprentice. Her father might have found it morally reprehensible, but she thought of it as an example of what would happen if a lust for power went unchecked, and a thoroughly depressing example at that.

Craving something a little more light-hearted, she scanned the shelves of the study and found a slim volume of poems and short-stories by Selvia, Hyrule's first known female author. One work in particular caught Ketura's attention: a sweet, romantic poem about an unnamed woman whose rapturous beauty was described in great detail. It reminded Ketura of one girl who had gone to school with her for a short while: shining raven hair, eyes sparkling like diamonds, skin soft as a cloud, pink lips like the petals of a rose … she effortlessly imagined that girl from her own life as the subject of Selvia's poem, and even imagined what it would be like to kiss her.

She smiled slightly as she closed the book, thinking more about that girl from school, feeling warm and a little bubbly until blueness overtook those feelings. She regretted not remembering the girl's name, or making more of an effort to get to know her. Then again, she didn't see why someone so perfect would see Ketura, who at the time had a bad haircut and holes in her shoes, as worthy of being a friend … or anything more than that.

* * *

She raised up blue shield after blue shield, deflecting the magic attacks Ganondorf shot at her. The glowing spheres flying towards her were the only source of light that evening as clouds concealed the moon and stars that usually shone over Hyrule Field. Ketura thought she had gotten a decent rhythm established … until one orb came her way just a tad sooner than expected. It hit her square in the chest, knocking her flat onto her back and sending a rough pain shooting through her core. Her eyes watered, and she found herself gasping for air.

"A little slow, eh?" Ganondorf asked as he stood over her. He didn't sound worried about her condition.

It took Ketura a few moments to breathe normally again. "Or you were too fast," she retorted weakly as she slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. She winced at another jolt of pain in her chest, and she tried to keep her breaths shallow so it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Possibly. You were doing so well, I thought I would change the pace," he replied.

"Maybe warn me next time?"

"In a real fight, your enemies won't warn you before they attack. Why should I be any different?"

Ketura had no answer for him. Before she thought of moving to stand back up, he lowered himself to sit down across from her.

"Could you at least take it down a notch?"

"That _was_ taking it down a notch. I could have easily broken your ribs or collapsed a lung."

She groaned. "I'll make sure to return the favor one day."

Ganondorf chortled.

Silence fell for a few minutes, as Ketura stared down at the ground and tried to take deeper breaths while pushing past the pain in her chest. She felt Ganondorf's eyes on her, and she wondered what he was thinking. He may have been waiting for her to indicate that she was ready to go again, but if asked she would tell the truth: she was ready to call it a night. There would probably be no bouncing back from the blow she received, but she considered the likelihood that he would give her a lecture about how in a real fight her enemies wouldn't let her take a break.

"I don't know how much longer I am going to stay with this group," he said, breaking the silence.

"Huh?"

"Perhaps I had my hopes up, thinking that Impa and her merry band of saviors would have found Zant by now. I was mistaken, so I may go and hunt him myself."

"They got a letter today, that he's been destroying towns around Hyrule," Ketura said. "So they know what he's up to, and they're probably trying to track him. Maybe. I don't know how it works. So …."

"So what? Did those towns have anything in common?"

"There were a lot of rebels there, I think."

Ganondorf nodded thoughtfully. "I can find him just fine on my own then."

"So you're just going to leave?"

"First I need to have some private time alone with a lovely woman named Amal. She is a Gerudo, around twenty-six years old, and has admired my legacy since her childhood. I am as honored by the opportunity as she is."

Ketura looked at him blankly. If he took off to find Zant, there was no telling what else he might do while on his own and unsupervised. It would be on her if something happened, she thought.

"And when I go, Ketura, I would like for you to come with me."

"Um … uh … my dad-"

"He's bedridden. What is he going to do about it?"

"Yeah, so I can't go. I'm helping him out with something else, too – and no, it's not related to any weapons that can kill you, so don't worry. And- and-"

"If you don't want to go with me, you can just say so."

"Okay, fine. I don't want to go. I mean, you tell me that in order for you to get what you want I need to be alive, and I need to be good at magic. You won't even tell me _what_ it is you want!" Ketura said, almost raising her voice in frustration.

Ganondorf sighed. "If your quest to retrieve the Master Sword is any indication, then you aren't exactly skilled at keeping secrets. You will just have to trust me."

"The only thing I can count on with you is that I won't die."

"Hmm," Ganondorf's gaze darted to the side briefly, and his expression turned to pensiveness. "I suppose I can wait just a little longer to depart, until you are ready to join me."

"Wow, you _are_ patient," said Ketura sarcastically as she pushed herself onto her feet.

"What will it take?" he asked, remaining seated.

"I want to know everything you're after and how I factor into all of it. Until then, don't get your hopes up." She looked from him to the entrance of the tunnel that would take her back to the Hidden Village, then back to him. "Good night," she said firmly before turning and walking away. As she made her way back to the big house, she wondered if she should even continue to bother with him. A small part of her did feel responsible for him, but why did he have to be her responsibility? Because she accidentally resurrected him?

Maybe it was time she took the Master Sword and used it to stab him in his sleep ... or maybe she would just need to keep doing what she was doing, in the hopes that he would finally give in and tell her the truth. She could be patient too.


	14. Thirteen

**THIRTEEN**

"It's all in your feet," Link said as he demonstrated the spin attack again. "Really, Ketura, I got this on my first try when I was learning. It shouldn't take five weeks to figure out."

"Well I'm not you," Ketura reminded him as she watched Link's feet. Tossing her wooden sword to the side, she tried mimicking what he did with his feet and spun in a tight circle.

"Better. Just try to go faster now."

Ketura let out an exasperated sigh. "Dad, we've been at this for hours. Can we call it a day or at least spar some more?" It wasn't the end of the world if she couldn't do a spin attack, she thought.

"You can't just give up because you're having a hard time. Push through and you'll have it!"

She reached down to pick up her sword, and to her relief Impa called out for Link from the entrance of the big house. "Fine, you get your break. But when I'm done with this meeting we're going back at it."

After waiting a minute once Link went inside, Ketura went into the house too, aiming to go up to the library and read some. She went upstairs and made it to the library to hear the voices of Impa and Link talking … and Ganondorf lurking in the shadows outside the doorway, ear pressed against the wall. She stopped on the opposite end of the door, at first pondering where else she could go and what else she could do to pass the time.

"Dangora's mother has secured her parcel … but on to a more grave matter. The time may come for us to take the fight directly to Zant," Impa said solemnly.

"Did we find him?" Ashei asked.

"No, not a permanent base of operations yet. We just got word about another attack, but this one was peculiar. He was seen in Kakariko Village, but instead of leveling the entire village he only destroyed one house – your house, Link."

"What was he looking for?" Link asked.

Ketura clasped her hand over her mouth as it dropped open. The pictures of her and her mother, the money she had been saving, her books, the rest of her earthly possessions, the home she wanted to take her father to once everything had ended - they all were gone.

"Our eyes in Kakariko recall him ranting on about how someone wasn't there. 'She's not here, she's gone' were the exact words, according to their message here … You're still at large, and since Zant has a vested interest in taking you out of the picture, he thought he could find leverage there."

Ketura's heart skipped a beat, then pounded again furiously, as if it wanted to escape from her chest. Ganondorf looked over to her.

"Good thing Ketura's here with me, where I know she's safe," Link said.

There was a brief pause. During that time, Ketura's mind went wild imagining scenarios where she found herself facing Zant – even though she didn't know what he looked like – and she wound up captured or dead. What if _he_ had eyes in the Faron Woods, and they had seen her come and go with the Master Sword? … what if she had led Zant right to this village? … but wouldn't he have struck by now if that were the case? She forced herself to take long, deep breaths, to hopefully calm herself down and relieve the tightness she felt in her chest.

"So how do we find him?" Zahrain spoke up.

"Other villages and towns allied with us are on alert and will send for help if needed." Ashei explained.

"I sent a message to the Lake Hylia base, telling them to be on alert." Impa added. "Now, for this next letter from Telma. It's marked as being urgent –" Ketura heard the sound of paper ripping and shuffling around. "It hasn't been decoded yet, but here goes. 'Truthful Eyes … eyes watching the Princess … say she has heard of an … orb … they think it's imbued with a special power … Orb of the Triforce is what she called it … it allows the holders of the Triforce to … find each other. It requires such great power to use … one can only use it every … three days … according to available information. It has yet to be seen … if this Orb of the Triforce is real or a myth.'" Impa paused. "This letter came to us yesterday …."

"Let's say she _does_ get her hands on this orb. What does that mean for us?" asked Link anxiously.

"We'll worry about that when it happens," said Impa.

* * *

She sat on her bed and held her hand over one of the books on her nightstand - it floated off the surface of the nightstand and rose into the air. Under her direction, the book moved from side to side, higher up, back down, and then spun in a circle. When actually reading the book did nothing to take her mind off things, she hoped that using it to practice levitation would.

The sound of approaching footsteps distracted her, and as a result the book dropped to the ground. Ketura bent down to pick it up, and looked to the door to see Link enter, and Midna floating along next to him.

"You skipped dinner?" he asked her, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I wasn't hungry," said Ketura.

Link nodded, pressing his mouth close in a thin-lipped expression. He looked from his daughter to Midna to his bed.

"Something on your mind?" he inquired as he sat down next to his daughter.

"No. I'm fine," said Ketura, thinking about the conversation she overheard earlier that day.

"Are you sure? I want us to be honest with each other, Ketura ... there's not a _boy_ , is there?"

"What? Dad, eew, no! There's nobody else here who's my age anyway, besides Dangora and maybe one of the Gerudos. I'm not, you know, doing things like that with anyone." Ketura's face grew hot.

"That's right, the only people your age here are females. That's a relief," Link jested. Ketura gave him a small chuckle, thinking about the romantic Selvia poem and how its words still resonated in her mind.

Shouting came from outside. Ketura scrambled to the window, seeing dozens of torches moving in the night through the village, circling the houses, and setting one or two of them on fire. In the light cast off by the flames, Ketura recognized the Triforce Insignia on the breastplates of the men carrying the torches.

"Dad ...?"

"What is it?" he said, turning to face her.

"Hylian soldiers are here! They're setting houses on fire and –"

"What?!" Link practically flew to the window, and his jaw dropped when he saw the scene outside. From there, he went back to his bed and pulled out the Master Sword from underneath it.

"This is a lot lighter than I remember it being," he commented as he slung the sword over his shoulder. "Ketura, stay inside and stay hidden. But if they come into the house, I want you to get out and run for it, understood?"

"Understood." Ketura nodded. Link patted her on the shoulder before dashing out of the room and out of the house.

She stayed at the window for a bit, dropping to her knees, and keeping her head only high up enough to see what was happening. She noticed Link storm out and immediately cut down two soldiers who were converging on the big house. Levali and Nabira surrounded three men with a ring of magical light, which started out white but then flashed purple and red, which caused the men encircled in it to fall to the ground. Colin engaged in a swordfight with one soldier, some other Hylians shot at soldiers with bows and arrows, and Impa dispatched several by throwing small knives at them.

When it seemed like half of the soldiers were down, another wave came pouring in from the tunnel. A pit formed in Ketura's stomach. She should be out there helping, she thought. She was more than capable – not with a sword, though, but she had gotten pretty good with Nayru's Love and Din's Fire. Ganondorf had also shown her other magical attacks that would come in handy.

Ketura crawled away from the window to her bed and hurriedly shoved her boots onto her feet before putting out the lantern on the nightstand and making her way downstairs. When she got into the kitchen, she heard the sound of breaking glass. The source of broken glass turned out to be a window in the main area, and a brick lay among shards of glass. Next, a bomb sailed in through the broken window – and its fuse was lit.

She sprinted in the other direction, hoping she could make it to the back door before the bomb went off. The door, thankfully, was unlocked, and she ran out and kept running around the side of the house with as much berth as she could give it. Soon, she heard a _boom_ and watched as fire and smoke erupted from the front end of the house, sending pieces of wood and brick flying in all directions, and causing the remaining structure to cave in on itself … at least until another round of bombs went off upstairs.

The force of the explosion blasted Ketura several feet away from where she was and knocked her onto the ground. Her head hurt, the sounds of shouting and battle cries were muffled, a ringing filled her ears, and as she got back up she coughed amidst the smoke and dust in the air.

Upon standing up, the first thing she noticed was a Hylian soldier standing two yards away from her, an arrow nocked in his bow and aimed right at her. The soldier was speaking, but his words sounded muffled at first.

"mff mhmh mff … mhm … Don't you move or I'll shoot!"

Ketura slowly raised her hands in the air, showing they were empty. "You're not really going to kill an unarmed girl, are you?" she asked him, trying to sound sassy and defiant.

"Don't talk back to me! Just stand there!"

"Or what? You'll shoot?"

"KETURA!" She saw Link running her way, sword held high. The soldier turned from Ketura and aimed his arrow at Link.

"Dad! No!" The instant she saw the soldier release his hold on the bowstring and arrow's fletching, Ketura threw her hand out. Nayru's Love surrounded Link in a blue crystalline casing; Link held still, looking upon his magical shielding in shock, and the arrow hit the shield and ricocheted right back at the soldier, hitting him in the arm and with enough force to knock him back.

Once the soldier hit the ground, Ketura ran to her dad and lowered the shield.

"Are you all right? I saw the bombs go off and –" Link grabbed his daughter's arms and looked at her with relief, and then his expression transitioned into one of complete surprise. "What was _that?"_

"What was what?"

"That thing you did! The blue shield thing! What in Farore's name was that?"

"I don't know," said Ketura, figuring there would be time to tell the truth later – or never. "I just knew that I wanted to protect you, and then that happened."

"You must have some natural talent for magic or something," Link said quickly. "But that's a conversation for another time! Go hide!"

Ketura took off and sequestered herself behind a stack of crates, a little amazed that he actually believed her lie. Crouching as low as she could but taking advantage of some space between two crates to watch what was going on, she saw another group of soldiers walk through the tunnel into the village. One of them, presumably their leader, walked in front of the other six and wore golden armor and a helmet engraved with the Triforce crest and scrolling patterns.

"Link Lykos! Of course. I could smell your foul stench from the entrance of the tunnel."

She saw her father turn and face this soldier, and his entire demeanor changed. Link turned rigid, horrified, and his eyes grew wider before narrowing in contempt. "Captain Sparks," he growled.

"I hope you enjoyed your time on the outside, Link, because I'm taking you right back to your cell – no, not your cell. I'm imagining something smaller, more cramped, darker. Food once a week, forced to sit in your own waste, and no visitors … except for me. Remember the fun we used to have whenever I came to see you?"

Right as Link cried out in anger and charged at Captain Sparks, puffs of smoke surrounded the six soldiers surrounding Sparks. When the smoke cleared, the six soldiers all lay dead on the ground with Sheikah standing over them, holding bloody daggers in their hands.

Sparks locked blades with Link and effortlessly knocked the Master Sword out of Link's hand. Letting out another roar of frustration, Link shouted "Midna!" and the imp-like woman emerged from his shadow to transform him into a wolf. Midna sat on his back and created a dark forcefield, prompting the Sheikah to move out of the way and Captain Sparks to guffaw. That is, until Sparks found himself inside the forcefield, surrounded by crackling orange energy.

Link swiftly pounced, knocking Sparks to the ground and the sword out of his hand. Midna morphed her hair into a hand and used it to pull off the captain's helmet and toss it aside. Ketura watched as Link sunk his fangs into Captain Sparks's face, causing him to scream in agony as the beast pinning him down tore the flesh off his face piece by piece, making blood squirt up into the air and onto Link's snout. Finally, once Captain Sparks's screams had subsided, Link chomped down on his neck, letting out another gush of blood and forever silencing the man.

Ketura couldn't look away, and her eyes fixed themselves on the red mush that was what remained of Captain Sparks's face. Blood poured down the side of his head and onto the ground. Link did not appear the least bit remorseful; he returned to his human form, spat blood out of his mouth and wiped it off his face the best he could, and spat "I hope that _hurt_ , you son of a bitch" at the corpse before picking the Master Sword back up.

She looked away, but couldn't get the gory image out of her head. Around her, she heard the sounds of whizzing arrows and clanging metal and shouting and cries of pain. Her chest grew tight, and her breaths short. When was this going to end, she wondered. When could she stop cowering behind those crates and go somewhere safe, and hopefully not have nightmares about what she just saw- she didn't think her father was capable of that-

"IMPA! IMPA! WE NEED TO WITHDRAW!"

Ketura peered out onto the road again, forcing herself to not look at the mangled face of Captain Sparks, to see the camouflage-clad scouts sprint up to Impa.

"What is it?" Impa asked, noting the frantic look on their faces.

"Impa, Zant is coming. He blew straight through the shields Ganondorf raised at the entrance to the tunnel. He's doing his best to hold Zant off, but I don't know how –" Seline spoke rapidly until Impa cut her off.

"Get everyone out of here _now._ " Impa commanded. "Take the passage into Lanayru Field and have everyone meet in the hidden cavern. Now. Move!"

Seline and the scouts ran through the village, shouting for everyone to make their way to the tunnels. The rebels did so, making a run for it,stopping to help up an injured comrade, or taking out one more soldier before going on their way. Ketura noticed Link stand at the entrance of the village, with both Midna and Impa beside him. Link watched the people going through the tunnels, and after a lull in activity he cried "Ketura!"

She hopped up from her hiding spot and rushed to join him.

"Ketura, you need to go now. Follow the path to Lanayru Field. There's a rock with the Eye of Truth carved on it –"

Out of the tunnels came several strange creatures Ketura had never seen before: Dark bodies, giant disc-shaped heads with tentacles protruding from them, and moving on all fours. As Ketura stepped back, Link and Impa wasted no time in striking them down until only one remained standing. The remaining creature let out a terrible roar, and its fallen comrades got back onto their feet.

"Go NOW!" Link said to Ketura. She looked for an opening between the creatures that she could run through, and when she saw one she went for it. However, once she got within range one of the creatures swatted her with a massive claw-like hand, knocking her onto the ground. She thought she heard Link cry out to her, but everything suddenly fell silent.

The only sound she heard was that of calm, slow footsteps, from deep within the tunnels. They grew progressively louder, louder … louder ….

With one of the monstrous creatures standing over her, Ketura didn't dare think about getting up, and she saw a figure emerge from the shadows of the tunnel: tall, in dark robes, wearing a freakish pointed helmet with giant bulging eyes and an outstretched tongue. Another company of creatures followed this person in. This person brought a chill to the air, and an unearthly darkness that added to the night, making it seem as if the light from the moon and stars had dimmed.

Link bared the Master Sword, and Impa readied a dagger. Midna growled and bared her pointed teeth.

"Zant," hissed Link.

The helmeted figure let out a laugh. "We meet again, Link."


	15. Fourteen

**FOURTEEN**

Link pounced, swinging the Master Sword vertically in hopes of landing a hit. However, Zant sidestepped to avoid the attack, and then thrust out a hand to launch a magical attack. The attack hit Link in the leg, toppling him to the ground and causing him to cry out in pain.

"Ah, looks like you're _rusty_." Zant sneered.

Midna emerged from Link's shadow and formed her hair into a hand, launching it forward. Zant evaded that as well and felled Midna with a similar magic attack.

"You monster … I can't believe it," Midna said, her voice weak but full of venom.

"Can't believe _what_ , Princess?" asked Zant contemptuously.

"You're here, and alive! How?" Midna continued. She staggered onto her feet and looked up at Zant.

"I never died, that is how I am alive!"

"Wha-"

"And now I come here in Princess Zelda's stead. She is indisposed at the moment. Using the Orb of the Triforce for me has worn her out," Zant answered casually as he stood over Link and Midna.

"You – you have Zelda?" Impa gasped.

"For the for the last sixteen years! Under my spell, doing my bidding, preparing this wretched world for the glory that is perpetual twilight!" Zant answered gleefully.

Ketura, remaining still while so close to a shadow beast, watched Zant. That would make some sense, she thought, if Zelda had those headaches because of mind control - and if it were the explanation for the Princess's sudden change in behavior that her father had lamented.

Zant faced Impa and tilted his head slightly. "You are a Sheikah, correct? … you are … filth like you cannot have a place in my world. I have seen over the years that only Hylians are capable of surviving the transformation into a more perfect state of being." He gestured to one of the creatures that flanked him. "Killing you now would be a mercy."

As Zant prepared another attack, Impa dove toward Link and Midna. With a _crack_ and a burst of gray smoke, the three of them had disappeared, and Ketura wondered if they realized that they had left her behind.

When he saw that they were gone, Zant hurled the red blob of energy he formed into the ground where they had previously been. "Find them!" he shouted, and three of the creatures peeled away from the group back into the tunnels … including the one that had stood over Ketura.

She froze in terror and looked up with wide unblinking eyes as Zant turned to face her. A chill ran down her spine.

"Oh? And who might you be?" he asked as he stretched his arm out to her. Ketura felt her body being lifted and raised to an upright position, her feet just inches from the ground. Her arms hung limp at her side; when she tried to wiggle a finger, she found she couldn't.

"Nobody. I'm nobody," she sputtered, hoping that would be good enough for Zant to let her go.

"Nobody, eh? I would say you're somebody. Young and pretty, with big blue eyes – just like Link's – you're his little girl aren't you?" He laughed menacingly. "I've been looking forward to meeting you!"

"Why? I'm not that special or exciting," Ketura retorted as she floated closer to Zant. Her father would surely come back for her – but at the same time, she didn't want him to. "Besides, wha-what makes you think I'm Link's daughter? Lots of people h-have blue eyes," she added, her voice faltering.

"Be silent, girl. I think that you and I should leave here together. Go back to Hyrule Castle. I'll even invite your father to come join us!"

"Or you can just let me go," said Ketura. "Please," she added, her voice cracking. Her heart felt like it wanted to jump out of her body as it beat fast and hard, and the urge to run overtook her – if she were capable of running at that moment. This was it, she thought. This would be the end of her. Her future was certainly full of suffering and pain, followed swiftly by death.

Zant laughed again. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked. "You are, aren't you? I can sense it … the fear. The helplessness. So delightful … Tormenting you will be fun. I think I'll make your father watch before I _kill him_."

She heard a _boom_ and the sound of rocks crashing into each other from inside the tunnel. Next came the sound of bodies hitting the ground, and the _whoosh_ of fire, and the sounds of magical attacks whizzing through the air. Hoping with all her might it was somebody coming to fight Zant, she watched with her peripheral vision as the giant dark creatures either ran into the village or fell in, unconscious and battered-looking. Someone walking upright also came in; Ketura couldn't see who this was, but she heard their footsteps.

Zant snarled. "Ganondorf! I thought I buried you!"

"Not even death can stop me. What makes you think some rocks can?" Ganondorf shot back.

"Which begs the question: how do you live again?" Zant asked. He rotated his head around – all the way around – to keep his eyes on Ganondorf, who walked in a circle around him. Seeing Zant turn his head all the way around like it was nothing would surely give Ketura nightmares. Right then, though, she wanted to ask Ganondorf why he hadn't attacked yet. Being unable to move – and being frightened for her life – made her feel light she was going to explode.

Ganondorf briefly glanced to Ketura, and then returned his attention to Zant. "The gods work in mysterious ways," he said flippantly.

"And now you are going to pick up right where you left off?" Zant said mockingly as he raised his free hand towards Ganondorf; instead of attacking, though, he curled his hand into a fist so that the back of his hand faced Ganondorf. "You can't do that without _this_."

Although she could only catch a side view, Ketura noted the glow of light on the back of Zant's hand, vaguely shaped like the Triforce, with the top triangle glowing brightest. She saw something change in Ganondorf: his swagger and threatening demeanor shifted to stillness as his eyes fixed themselves upon Zant's hand, with a kind of monstrous lust burning in them.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

Ganondorf looked from Zant's hand to Ketura to Zant's face to the ground at his feet, then finally back to Zant. He swung his arm forward, hand in a fist and a dark aura surrounding it. The punch would have surely connected if Zant hadn't jumped out of the way, dropping Ketura in the process.

Her body hit the ground with a _thud_. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees, registering the dull pain in her hipbone, then stood to her feet and looked for an opening to run, reminding herself to be more careful this time. Ganondorf kept trying to hit Zant, failing each time as Zant dodged or warped away. The dark creatures stood in place, blocking the entrance to the tunnel.

Ketura took a few cautious steps forward, her eyes on the creatures. Just as she thought of launching Din's Fire at them, a thick tentacle-like protrusion, shooting from the opening of one of Zant's sleeves, wrapped itself around her neck and yanked her away. Before she knew it, she found herself pressed against Zant's body, his mouth just inches from her ear and the tentacle holding her in place. She wrapped her hands around the tentacle, futilely pulling at it in hopes of creating at least the tiniest gap for her to insert a finger or two, keeping at it no matter how much the tentacle refused to budge.

Directly in front of her came Ganondorf, originally charging forward but skidding to a halt when he saw her.

"What's the matter, Ganondorf? Suddenly forget your sorcery?" Zant jeered.

All Ganondorf did in response was glare at Zant, with fury and bloodlust burning in his eyes.

"Come on now. Strike me down. Kill me. Then the Triforce of Power will be yours again. So what if some insignificant girl also dies in the process, right? It hasn't stopped you before … well I shouldn't say she's insignificant. She's Link's wretched little pup. With one hit, think of how you can solve many of your problems!"

Ketura's hands started shaking. She looked to Ganondorf, who looked back at her with an unreadable expression, and thought of what she would say if she dared to speak. _Just do it. You can hit him without hitting me. Aim for the top of his head or something._

Ganondorf didn't move. Zant laughed.

"I knew it. You're weak without this … we'll be going now. Go to Link and tell him that I'll be at Hyrule Castle, and if he wants to see his daughter alive then he better come in three days' time. I don't want to have to come get him."

Zant started walking backwards, dragging Ketura along and making sure she stayed in position in front of him. "Then again, girl, you would look quite fetching as a being of the Twilight. If you father doesn't show up, you can join my army …." The end of the tentacle wrapped around her neck raised itself up and stroked her cheek. She turned her head away from it and shuddered.

"Make sure he doesn't follow!" Zant ordered the creatures standing at the mouth of the cave as he passed by them. The creatures pounced on Ganondorf in unison, and before she could see what happened next, Ketura found herself being dragged around a curve in the tunnel.

"Do you – do you really want me in your army of freaks?" said Ketura, doing the best she could not to stutter or betray her nervousness and fear in her voice.

Zant offered no response. She could hear his ragged breathing, muffled by that helmet.

"I mean, like I said, I'm nothing special. I'm lousy in a fight! I can't even do a spin attack!"

"When I make you … more perfect … you will have no need for a sword," Zant said devilishly. "Hmm, yes … do you know Ganondorf at all, girl? Perhaps you can explain something to me."

"Explain what?"

"Why he hesitated! To attack me as I used you for my shield!"

"I-I don't know. Him, that is. I don't know him, so I can't say why he does what he does," Ketura said quickly, hoping he couldn't sense lies.

"Pity," said Zant.

"Maybe he's remorseful? He feels bad about how he used you to accomplish his own goals and realized how wrong he was?"

"He feels no remorse for anything! I worshiped him as if he were a _god_ , and how was I rewarded? Left to die, abandoned in this wretched realm!" Zant exclaimed, on the brink of breaking into hysterics.

"Are you sure about that? You, uh, should go back and ask him. Just, like, leave me here and I'll wait for you to come back like a good little hostage."

"Heheheheh … that was pathetic. I don't know why, but I expected you to be more creative than that."

Ketura heard a screech behind her, one that sounded almost like the terrible roar of those shadow creatures.

"Yes?" Zant turned around, but kept Ketura facing the same direction. She couldn't see what was going on, but she heard a jarring mishmash of sounds coming from the creature's mouth, low and grumbling in addition to high-pitched, so foreign-sounding to her.

"What do you mean, 'we are under attack in the valley?'" Zant asked frantically. The creature responded, also sounding anxious.

"This can't be happening!" In his outburst, the tentacle Zant kept around Ketura's neck retracted, dropping her to the ground. She caught herself with her hands, and as she sprung to her feet she heard Zant shriek at the creature "Go! Kill them all! Bring Link to me alive and the heads of all the other scum with him!"

Ketura wasted no time in darting back down the tunnel toward the branch leading to Lanayru Field, where she could find her father and help him fight those shadow creatures. She only made it a few yards when she heard Zant shout at her.

"Where are you going, girl?!" Zant hurled a red blob of energy at her, and Ketura turned around to deflect it with Nayru's Love. The blob bounced back at Zant, hitting him square in the chest but only causing him to stumble back a step or two.

"It seems you _are_ something special after all!" exclaimed Zant as he hurled attack after attack at her. Ketura erected a single blue shield in front of her, using it to block the attacks as she took steps back. Each attack chipped away at her shield little by little, cracking and thinning it; when she saw Zant charge up a massive red-and-purple attack, she knew it would be the one to break her shield. Figuring she had nothing to lose, she pushed her shield forward right as Zant unleashed his attack. The two collided, and as Ketura's shield shattered so did Zant's attack, sending it bouncing back in pieces. Zant raised up his own red magical shield to defend himself, but the other pieces of his attack struck the shadow creature to whom he had spoken.

She realized there was no way she could keep this up indefinitely; he was powerful, and she could already feel the drain in energy that resulted from maintaining Nayru's Love. Every move had to count, and she started by running back down the tunnel, moving in a zigzag motion. A red blob flew right by her head, then another one, and then one which hit the ground just a few inches away from her. The force of the attack's impact with the ground sent Ketura stumbling forward a little, and as soon as she recovered her footing she looked over her right shoulder to see how close Zant was.

What she saw instead was another blobby red sphere zooming through the air, coming right at her. Before she could register what was happening, the sphere crashed into the right side of her face, sending her body flying into the tunnel wall, where the left side of her head slammed hard into the rough stone. She let out a small cry as she fell to the ground, catching herself with her hands. Intense, aching pain concentrated on her forehead just above her left temple, and the right side of her face felt like it was on the fire, and as if the burning pain seeped into her brain.

Lightheadedness and hazy vision soon crept up on her as she struggled to get to her feet. Zant shouted something behind her, but it sounded just as garbled to her as the shadow beast's speech had. She leaned to the side and let her left hand find the wall of the tunnel; she paused again, doubling over as her stomach lurched. Somewhere in the distance she heard Zant's unintelligible voice rage away at someone else, who fiercely garbled back at him. She couldn't tell who the second person was. She could barely see what was in front of her, as the world around her steadily grew darker and fuzzier.

She let her mouth gape open, subconsciously planning to say something. Before she could, she felt herself being abruptly lifted to an upright position and pushed forward as that other person exclaimed something to her. The force of the push sent her forward a few steps, and having someone yelling so loudly in such close proximity sent another jolt of fiery pain shooting through her head. She clasped her right hand to the corresponding side of her face, and her left hand flailed aimlessly to the side as she stumbled forward a few more steps, until finally she could hold herself up no longer.

Ketura hit the ground hard, adding her shoulder to the list of body parts that hurt. She lay there pathetically, her head swimming, drifting in and out of consciousness as she heard shouting and cursing. In her more aware moments, she noticed flashes of light in her peripheral vision, bursts of red and purple and white and green, sometimes followed by the sounds of muffled explosions or crashes.

Everything faded to the quiet blackness … but then she moved. Some outside force rolled her over. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see who or what, and when they spoke she didn't understand them. She felt a hand on her face, on the left side, with a secure but gentle grip as it turned her head from side to side.

She opened her eyes, but everything was still dark. In her mind's eye, she saw the face of her father … maybe he _had_ come back for her.

"D…Da…." she mumbled weakly, before everything went black again.


	16. Fifteen

**FIFTEEN**

 _Ketura …._

A voice called her name. Ketura found herself standing on a grassy field, with a pitch black sky over her head. She spun around, trying to find the source of the voice.

 _Ketura …._ The voice said, louder this time. In front of her, Ketura saw three spheres of light, arranged in a triangle. The sphere at the top of the triangle flashed red, then faded into the darkness. Next, the sphere on the right flashed blue, then also faded into black. The remaining sphere flashed green, but it didn't fade; instead, it shone with the same intensity.

She walked towards the remaining sphere, which still emitted green pulses of light, and reached out her hand to it. The sphere flew backwards and kept moving. Ketura chased it across the field, up a hill, all the way to the top, where she saw the Master Sword in its pedestal. As she stood in front of the sword, the disembodied voice spoke again.

 _It's yours, Ketura. Take it._

Ketura stretched out her right hand, intending to grab the sword's hilt. When she thought she was going to touch it, her hand instead went right through the hilt. She tried again and again, each time proving unsuccessful as her hand kept phasing through. She definitely wanted the sword, so why couldn't she pick it up?

 _Quickly! Take the blade! Evil is upon you!_

Barely a second later, Zant's giant head, still encased in that helmet, rose from the ground and looked straight at her. More frantically now, she tried to grab the Master Sword as she watched the giant head. Zant's head formed a red ball of magical energy at his mouth, and he shot it at her.

Ketura finally established a firm hold on the Master Sword's hilt. She started to pull the sword from its pedestal, intending to fight, but Zant's attack was approaching – there was no way she could strike back in time –

* * *

Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself lying in pitch blackness. There was a pounding pain in the right side of her head. She slowly sat up, inducing another painful throb in her temple, and she clasped a hand to her forehead. Maybe she should go back to sleep until the pain went away, she thought tiredly. Then again, she didn't know who she would wake up to.

Ketura groaned involuntarily, thinking about how she would give her left arm to make the pain in her head go away. The silence in that space made her think she had gone deaf – that is, until she heard what sounded like snoring some distance in front of her.

"Hello?" she said. "Anyone home?" She then held her breath as she waited for a response.

Something shifted to her side.

"Ketura? Are you awake?" A voice that she recognized as her father's soon followed.

"Dad!" She turned in that general direction, but still couldn't see him. Her first thought was to make a small flame to illuminate the area, but when she tried nothing happened. Had she been drained of her magical energy at one point?

"Yes, I'm right here," said Link.

"Shuddup! Tryin' to sleep here," someone snapped groggily from the other side of the area.

"I can't see anything," Ketura continued, whispering, extending a hand forward and moving it around to see if she could touch him. "Am I blind? Where are we? What happened with Zant?"

"No, you're not blind. It's just dark in here. You were hit in the head by one of his attacks," Link explained, sounded relieved and comforting. "And he escaped …" he continued sourly, "but now we're all here in a hidden cavern underneath Lanayru Field. We have someone keeping watch in case he returns, but for now you're safe."

"I- I don't remember much of what happened," Ketura began. As she spoke, light poured into the cave from a far corner, and someone slowly descended until their feet made contact with the floor. The light was too bright for her, annoying her eyes and making her head hurt more, so she squeezed her eyes shut and covered them with her forearm. She tried jogging her memory: Zant and his small army of shadow creatures, the tentacle around her neck, being dragged through the tunnel, finally being able to run … that's where her recollection ended.

"Sun's up everyone! Good morning! Let's get up and get a move on!" Ketura recognized Seline's voice calling to everyone to wake up, followed by moans and whimpers from the other rebels as they roused themselves. Still protecting her eyes from the light, she held still, and soon felt her father's arms around her. She dropped her forearm from her still heavily shut eyes and reciprocated the embrace, resting her forehead on his shoulder. For a brief moment, she did feel safe and untouchable.

"I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you," sighed Link.

"Oh Ketura, you're awake!" Luda made her way over to Link and Ketura, digging through her medicine pouch. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," said Ketura, extricating herself from her father's embrace so she could turn and face Luda with squinting eyes.

"I need to go talk to Impa. I'll be right back," Link said as he rubbed Ketura's shoulder. He stood up and made his way over to Impa. During that time, Luda found a small vial of a thick crimson liquid and gave it to Ketura to drink. Whatever it was, it made her headache go away instantly.

"Wow" was all Ketura could say in response. She opened her eyes fully to see Luda holding her index finger up. She followed Luda's finger as it slowly moved from side to side, and Luda finished up with a "Good!"

"Hey, Luda," Ketura said, glancing over to see Link discussing something with Impa in hushed voices. "Do you have any Green Potions on you by chance?"

Luda looked inside her medicine pouch. "Here," she said as she procured a vial filled with green liquid.

"Thanks," said Ketura. She drank up and felt magical energy flowing through her again.

"Might I ask why you needed that?" Luda inquired.

"Everyone listen up!" Impa's voice rang through the cave. It suddenly fell silent, and all heads turned to face her.

"For the time being we are going to join up with our comrades at the Lake Hylia base. Seline and her scouts will guide small groups to the entrance of the secret tunnel pathway that will lead you to the shores of the lake. If we move quickly we will be there before nightfall."

Ketura stood up slowly and made her way over to join Link. She stood by his side, leaning her head against his shoulder, as they waited for almost everyone else to make their way to the stream of light and float up to the surface. Like Impa commanded, people went up in small groups, waiting for a rock to drop from above before the next group headed out.

"We're not going to Lake Hylia," Link said softly to Ketura.

"Why? Where are we going instead?" she asked.

"I'm taking you to Ordon Village. It's small and remote, and you have family there. You can lay low and be safe," Link explained. "After what happened with Zant … it's not safe for you to be near me."

"Wait- you're going off on your own?"

"Well, Midna and I are, yes."

A split second of silence, during which Ketura processed what he said and decided it didn't sit well with her.

"Can't I just go to Lake Hylia with everyone else?" she protested.

"Ketura … remember that a soldier was going to shoot you? I understand that you want to help, and you can help by giving me peace of mind and staying out of trouble."

"Dad-"

"Please," he cut her off. She could see in his eyes how worried and on edge he was.

"It won't be for long, I promise. This will all end soon, and we can be together again, okay?"

The last group to depart consisted of Link, Midna (who still stayed in Link's shadow) and Ketura. Ketura did not care for the weightlessness she felt while floating up to the surface and the overcast sky above it; mainly because it was so unfamiliar a sensation for her. Her feet finally landed on drying grass and brown leaves that had fallen from a nearby tree. Laid out on the ground were an assortment of items that one of the scouts stood over protectively, and behind the tree she noticed Impa and Ganondorf bickering about something in hushed but passionate voices.

"This is some of what we salvaged from the village last night. Group of us went back and took what we could … Impa told me you're taking off on your own, so grab what you need for your journey," the scout said to Ketura. She looked to Link hesitantly, and after he gave her an affirming nod she scanned over the items and took what interested her: a lantern, cans of fruit, rope, a book whose front cover was slightly burned at the corners, a purple button-down shirt, a bar of soap, a box of matches, a small knife, a notebook with a pencil clipped to it, a pouch of medical supplies, and a big leather bag to store everything in. Once she got everything into the bag, she took a moment to sit down on the ground and re-tie the laces of her boots.

"Are you coming or what?" Impa sharply asked Ganondorf as the two of them emerged from behind the tree.

"Yes, I'm right with you," said Ganondorf as he joined Impa's side.

"What's going on?" asked Ketura as she stood back up.

"Nothing at all," said Impa, mildly agitated. "You're all set?"

"Yes we are," said Link.

"Then good luck to you both." Impa said, looking to Ketura and Link.

"Are you two going somewhere else?" Ganondorf asked, making sure to look straight to Link.

Link huffed, then made eye contact with Ganondorf. "If it is true that he can locate another holder of a piece of the Triforce every three days … then he dies in three days. He'll come for me and I'll be ready for him."

"On your own? You, someone who has spent the last fourteen years withering away, think you can take on someone who has spent that time growing stronger? I admire your resolve, Link, but the odds are hardly in your favor." Ganondorf replied, his tone patronizing and snide.

"Yeah- well- you of all people should know how well I can beat the odds."

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. "And yet … I didn't see you last night in the tunnels, taking another go at Zant. I mean, your daughter was there, in mortal peril, completely abandoned –"

Ketura raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth between her father and Ganondorf. She didn't like how this conversation was going, and she just wanted to leave then and there.

"That's uncalled for," Impa interjected. "The rest of us were pinned down here in the valley by those monsters."

" _I was on my way._ " Link hissed. "And if I had gotten there in time, I would not have let him escape … like _you_ did." He turned his back, put an arm around Ketura's shoulder, and pushed her along with him as he started walking away. She looked straight ahead, just as Link did, and behind her she heard Ganondorf again, definitely determined to have the last word.

"Fine. I'll just let her die next time. How about that?"

* * *

Link and Ketura reached Ordon Village after night fell. The trip passed in relative silence; Ketura figured that Link's mind was preoccupied with something, because hers was as well. Ganondorf's final words got her thoughts racing, considering possibilities as to what could have happened between her blacking out and waking up in the cave. The conclusion she reached was the simplest one, but she doubted that her father would confirm it out loud. She then asked herself: if she wasn't important to whatever the grand master plan was, would Ganondorf have indeed left her to die?

"Not much has changed," said Link as he looked upon the village that had once been his home. Moonlight and starlight reflected off of the waters of the large pond on the edge of town, torches in the ground lit the main street, and lights could be seen from inside the houses along the street. Link sighed, hardened his facial expression, and led Ketura down the street to a large house next to a pumpkin patch.

"How well do you know your grandfather?" Link asked.

"Not very. He … he only came by Kakariko Village once before … after Mom died … for her funeral," answered Ketura.

"And he- he- hmm. You should probably stand back while I talk to him first," said Link, his tone indicating his displeasure towards Ketura's grandfather. Once at the front door of the house, Link knocked while Ketura stood a few feet away. A moment after Link knocked, the door opened to show a tall man with a bald head, round belly, and two patches of scar tissue on either side of his nose, right above his upper lip. The man narrowed his eyes in scrutiny as he looked Link up and down, then widened them slowly.

"Link … well I'll be damned …." the man said incredulously.

"Hello Bo," said Link, and Ketura was surprised by how meek he sounded as he spoke.

"What brings you here?" asked Bo, before he looked past Link to notice Ketura. "You brought Ketura here too?"

"Hi, Grandpa," said Ketura, trying to sound congenial, and she held up a hand to wave.

"I know I have no right to, but I need to ask you a favor," Link continued.

With a huff, Bo gestured for Link and Ketura to go inside and sit at the kitchen table. The house, whose dim lighting was provided by jarred candles on the table and a lantern hanging from the ceiling, showed cluttered shelves and countertops, littered with tools and knick knacks. Pictographs on the mantle above the fireplace showed Bo, a woman Ketura assumed to be his wife and her grandmother, and goats. There were no photographs of anyone who looked like her mother anywhere.

"You definitely don't have a right to ask me for help," Bo said bluntly as he sat down at the head of the kitchen table. "You lost that right the day you took advantage of my daughter – and you even didn't have the decency to marry her after! Getting yourself thrown in prison only dug you deeper. These are dangerous times and I need to protect the village. I can't be seen consorting with fugitives!"

At the mention of prison, Link stifled a scoff. "Then I'll be gone before you know it. And I agree, these are dangerous times, and I need to make sure my daughter is safe. Can you watch over her?"

Bo looked over to Ketura, and she felt like melting into her seat. "Why can't you? And don't give me any claptrap about the burden of being a Hero."

Link hung his head.

"Some nerve you have, trying to dump your bastard on me like this," spat Bo.

"Bastard?" Ketura felt like she had been kicked in the chest.

"That's right," said Bo. "For all of feats of daring and heroism, your father is deep down a spineless worm who only cares about himself."

Ketura jumped as Link slammed his fists on the table.

"I should have known better than to come here, thinking _you_ had the decency to help your granddaughter," Link snapped. "I guess not." He sprung to his feet and stormed to the door. Ketura got up and went to join her father.

* * *

After leaving Bo's house, Ketura followed her father to the large pond, where they sat along its shore for a while in contemplative silence.

"I need to tell you something," Link finally said, his voice soft. Ketura looked up to him.

"Your mother and I … we never got married because we didn't love each other the way husbands and wives should."

"What? Why? But you two had sex …."

"We had sex for the wrong reasons. Midna had just returned to the Twilight Realm with no way for me to follow her, I came home, I was lonely, and Ilia was there for me," said Link remorsefully. "I loved her like a friend, but nothing more than that."

Ketura glanced over to Link's shadow, and it dawned on her who it was he really loved.

"I'm sorry your grandfather wants nothing to do with you because of it," Link continued.

"That's fine. He never cared about me so I don't see why he should start now."

"Of course I'm not completely blameless," murmured Link.

A moment of silence passed.

"So what now?" Ketura asked.

With a sigh, Link answered "I don't know."

"I'll go to Lake Hylia, then," suggested Ketura. When Link's expression soured, she followed up with "What? You'll know who I'm with, where I am, and that I am surrounded by some very capable people. And … um … remember how I made that magic shield thing around you? I could train with the twins to get better at magic, so if I do run into Zant again I'll be able to take him." She did, of course, have no intention of continuing her training with Levali and Nabira.

"The whole idea was to get you away from everything that's going on! Impa told me that you would be safe with them, but that turned out to not be true … and I have nothing against the twins, or the Gerudo people in general, but I would prefer that you wait and train with a Hylian sorcerer."

"What's wrong with learning from a Gerudo? Do you even know any Hylian sorcerers?"

"The Hylian magic tradition was conceived by the Goddesses for their people to use, and there is some dark magic that the Gerudo utilize – taking control of another person's body, for example. That, and necromancy."

Ketura rolled her eyes when he mentioned necromancy in particular. "Dad, I get that you want me to be safe. I really do. But you're just telling me what to do and hoping I'll go along with it. What about what _I_ want?"

"Ketura …." Link sounded testy.

"And maybe knowing this super scary dark Gerudo magic will come in handy against Zant!"

"What you want right now doesn't matter. I am your father, and I am trying to protect you. Please listen to me and respect what I have to say!"

She opened her mouth, but didn't say anything at first. Instead, she briefly focused on the mix of fluster and exasperation on her father's face, and then hung her head.

"Sorry Dad," she said, hoping it would shift the direction of the conversation. To her it seemed that she wasn't going to get her way as long as Link had any say in the matter. "I guess I'm also worried about you. A lot. Zant is scary powerful, and he almost got you, and you're just going to run off after him. Straight into danger. Please don't get yourself killed!"

"I won't be alone. I have Midna," said Link, and almost immediately Midna popped out of his shadow. Link turned and smiled at Midna, and she smiled back.

"I'll get him back to you in one piece, Ketura. I promise," said Midna confidently. "Also, I have an idea for you. Your grumpy Grandpa might not want you, but that doesn't mean you can't stay in this village."

"Yeah, but that would be kind of awkward if I ran into him again," Ketura responded. "But is there a secluded area near the village, like a cave or something? I could spend most of my time there but come into town for food and stuff."

A few moments of contemplative silence passed by, and then Midna's face lit up. "Ordon Spring? Where the Light Spirit lives?"

"That could work," said Link.

* * *

Even at night, the waters in the Ordon Spring glimmered and shone with a faint light, much like the waters of the spring on the edge of Kakariko Village. Grass and small flowers grew along the shores of the spring, much greener and healthy-looking than the dry yellowing grass in the surrounding area. To Ketura, the spring felt strangely peaceful – maybe there was a Light Spirit living here, or maybe it was the soothing sound of rushing water.

"Do you like this?" Link asked Ketura.

"Yeah, it's good. It's fine," she answered absentmindedly. "So I'm guessing this Light Spirit that lives in the spring is supposed to protect me from harm? Like, Zant-level harm?"

Link nodded.

"All right then … be careful, stay hidden, and don't cause any trouble," he said, his voice heavy with trepidation.

"Don't worry about me, Dad. You're the one going headfirst into danger," said Ketura.

With a sad little chuckle, Link pulled his daughter into his arms. Ketura leaned her head on his shoulder and hugged him tight, not wanting to ever let go. She didn't want to stay hidden at this spring, and more than that she didn't want him to go on what sounded like a suicide mission. She thought about how, during the fight at the village, the Master Sword had been knocked out of his hand, and how he floundered against Zant before Impa whisked him away. What chance did he stand?

"I'll come get you when it's all over," Link said softly. "I love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

Link slowly pulled himself away from Ketura and smiled at her. He took a couple of steps back, allowing Midna to emerge from his shadow and turn him into a wolf. Once Midna seated herself on his back, Link took off, dashing out of the spring and in the direction of Faron Woods. Ketura stood there, staring blankly at the entrance to the spring, seeing if he would come back for any reason.

She could stay here for a day or so, she thought, before heading out for Lake Hylia.


	17. Sixteen

**SIXTEEN**

The first thing Ketura did after waking up the following morning was bathe in the waters of the spring. Using the soap in her bag, she cleaned herself the best she could, but shivered violently under the combination of the cool morning air and the cold spring water on her skin. She used her gray shirt like a towel to dry herself off before changing into the purple shirt she had brought with her. Thankfully the purple shirt was made of a thicker fabric, which was slightly warmer but still not enough to chase away her chills. To warm back up she jumped up and down, jogged in circles, and created a flame in her hand to hold close to her chest.

Around midday, her stomach started growling. She looked out towards the entrance of the spring, knowing that she could just go to the village and find something to eat. However, she didn't have any money with her, and she didn't want to think about how awkward it would be if she were to run into her grandfather while she was in town. Maybe she could just sneak in and swipe a pumpkin, or dig through someone's trash.

Ketura started walking, stopping a couple of steps outside of the spring when she heard someone call out "Hey there! How's it going?"

She jumped, then turned to see a man pulling along a covered cart. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him.

"You don't remember me, do ya? It's me, Coro! You passed by my house a while back, and I offered you soup and-"

"Oh, right! Yeah!" said Ketura, nodding along with him. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. Just … hanging out. How are you?"

"I'm moving on. My house is falling apart and I heard there were these people starting a revolution and I'm going to Castle Town to join them and help any way I can. Wanna come with me?"

"Nah, that's not really my thing," said Ketura. "Good luck to you though."

"Thanks, see you around … say, what happened to that fella you were travelling with last time? The tall one in the hood who kind of gave me the creeps?"

"He's … not here."

"Ah, I see. Well, there are plenty of fish in the river, as my sister always said. Take care now!" With that, Coro went on his way. Ketura watched him go, and once he was out of sight she followed the path deeper into Faron Woods until she reached his house. Along the way she plucked up more of the little magic green bulbs from the ground, stashing them into her bag as she went.

Like Coro had said, his house was falling apart. The roof had fallen in, and a pile of wood and shingles sat at the side of the house. The wooden boards on the walls had completely fallen off, barely hung on by the strength of one nail, or were rotting in places. Upon further inspection, she saw that the door was just propped up in place, and she easily pushed it down to get inside. Once in the house, she saw that Coro had for the most part cleaned it out, leaving behind his furniture and some clothes. Among the clothing items she saw was a brown leather jacket; she snatched it and threw it on, not caring that it was two sizes too big for her. It was warm, and the leather worn and cracked.

Much to her dismay, no food had been left behind. So far she had done her best to ignore the gnawing pain in her stomach, but it was hard to not notice the angry growl it gave off. Maybe he left something valuable behind, she thought. As she dug through closets and cabinets, scanning them intensely for anything, she thought of a time when she and her mother were completely broke and had gone two whole days without food. Her mother had been tempted, but ultimately refused to steal either food or money, confident that the Gods would eventually ease their suffering and reward their patience. Food eventually arrived when a neighbor invited them to dinner, but at the time Ketura would have stolen to eat if it was up to her. Now, she was trying to do exactly that. It didn't matter what her mother would think, she thought, because the Gods had rewarded her patience and suffering with a deadly illness. Why worry about sinning against beings with such horrid senses of fairness?

Ketura soon resorted to ripping out the floorboards, being careful of the ants and termites that scurried around. One floorboard was completely missing, so she started tearing out the other ones around that hole until she created a space big enough for her to go through. She dropped into the crawlspace and immediately noticed a small wooden chest. Inside the chest she found an orange Rupee, and she couldn't help but smile.

This could have been Coro's life savings, she thought as she put the Rupee in her bag. Then again, she figured that if he cared enough about it he should have taken it with him.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Ketura made her way to Ordon Village's general store. For seventy Rupees she bought canned fruits, cured meats, pumpkin bread, goat cheese, oil for her lantern, sanitary napkins, and extra medical supplies. The extra thirty Rupees could have gotten her a slingshot, which seemed tempting until she realized that having a child's slingshot was silly when she could use magic to conjure fire. During her shopping, she munched on a sandwich she hastily threw together with the bread, cheese, and meat she bought.

"You could also get some honey with that," the shopkeeper, a frail woman with her hair in a tight bun, gestured to a jar of honey sitting on the shelf next to the canned fruit.

"No thanks," said Ketura, thinking that she needed to save her remaining money for later.

Before the shopkeeper could reply, they heard screams coming from outside, followed by a _crash_. Ketura peeked out the window and gasped. The world around her stopped for a brief moment, and all she knew was that there was no way he could have found her so soon.

"What's going on?" the shopkeeper asked.

"It's-" Ketura did not have the faintest idea how to explain Zant's presence in Ordon Village, or that he had just used magic to toss a man into the lake. She watched, eyes wide, heartbeat quickening and intensifying.

The shopkeeper made her way to the window, just as a middle-aged man charged at Zant with a sword, only to be thrown into the lake as well. Both of the men who had been sent for a swim soon climbed back onto shore, soaking wet but otherwise unscathed.

"Oh no, not again!" the shopkeeper squealed in panic.

"Huh?"

"A long time ago, before you were born, an evil force came to our village and kidnapped all of our children. I can't believe it's happening again! Stay inside, sweetie, for your own good." The shopkeeper put a hand on Ketura's shoulder and pushed her down into a crouching position underneath the window.

"Where is he?!" Zant demanded of the villagers, loud and clear and full of malice.

"Where is who?" one of the villagers asked.

"Your most famous resident! Link Lykos! Where is he?"

"He's been in prison. Why would he be here?"

"So you don't know that he escaped, eh? Well he has! Who is in charge here?"

"That would be me!" Ketura heard her grandfather's voice.

There was a pause. The shopkeeper stood at the door with a shovel in hand, ready to swing it if she needed to. Ketura held her breath, almost as if she feared that Zant would hear her breathing through the walls of the shop. She wondered what he had to gain from terrorizing the village, especially since her father was nowhere nearby. Additionally, she asked herself what it would take to get him away from Ordon and all the people who lived there.

She didn't like the answer she came to.

"You're in charge of this village? Well then … I must request your help in bringing Link to me. Your village is under attack, and you need a great Hero to save it, don't you?" Zant continued, his tone threatening.

"I am not going to let you near him," said Bo defiantly.

"Such a pity, that you are not going to do what is necessary to protect your people! … It seems we must do this the hard way. _If_ you do not send Link a message to come here by sunrise, starting tomorrow I will kill one person a day, and I will make you watch, and I will make their deaths so horrific that their screams will haunt your nightmares."

"And you'll kill me last?"

"No of course not!" Zant laughed. "I will leave you here, alone and miserable and racked with guilt!"

The shopkeeper whimpered.

As she listened to Zant and Bo's exchange, Ketura's mind raced with ideas. Her first step was the obvious one, but so far not the riskiest – it would take a miracle, she thought, to pull off the rest of her half-baked plan. She stood up and slowly walked to the door. Her heartbeat pounded so furiously she felt it in her stomach and heard it in her ears, every reasonable fiber of her being told her to get back down under the window, and she expended quite a bit of mental energy in forcing herself to take even breaths.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?" the shopkeeper asked worriedly.

"Something," replied Ketura. Before the shopkeeper could stop her, she had slipped out of the store and shut the door behind her securely. Zant's back was turned to her, as he presumably still had his attention on Bo.

She took a deep breath and called out "Hey Zant! Over here!"

Zant turned around and paused when he saw her. "Ketura? I did not expect to see you again so soon! Is your father nearby?" He sounded positively giddy.

"No, he's not. But- but I can take you to him. I know where he's hiding. You just have to promise to leave these people alone."

He tilted his head to the side as he studied her face. "You really know where he is? How do I know you won't just lead me into a trap?"

"Come on. Why would I lead you into a trap? I wouldn't gain anything from it." Ketura hoped he wouldn't see right through her, and she hardened her facial expression in an attempt to hide her nerves and to inspire him to take her seriously.

"I am all alone, Zant. Nobody is going to come to my rescue this time, and I'm not going to fight back because you are more powerful than me."

After a moment of eery silence, Zant spoke.

"Ah, you are your father's daughter, aren't you?" He said, finishing with a devious self-satisfied chuckle. "Well … probably not after we pay him a visit. Take me to him."

* * *

"How much farther?" Zant asked testily as he followed Ketura through the woods, occasionally stomping hard on the ground and crunching dried leaves underfoot.

"What, are you tired?" Ketura asked him with a smirk. "But we're about halfway there. It's deep in the woods."

"Does your father know what you are doing right now?"

"Nope," said Ketura.

"Why are you betraying him like this, then?"

"Because- because it's what he would want me to do, in this situation. You know he's all about selflessness and putting others first. He'd do anything to save innocent people. And then- then when you're done with him … you can use me as bait to get Ganondorf. Maybe?"

Zant stopped walking, clasped one of his hands on Ketura's shoulder, and brought her to an abrupt halt as well. His hand felt cold and strangely smooth, unnervingly so. She heard the soft clinks and clanks of metal retracting in her ear.

"His suffering is far from over. He will pay for everything he did to me."

Was that his breath she felt on her skin? She turned her head to the side and almost jumped when she saw a pale blue mouth and a pointed chin underneath his helmet. Ketura wasn't too taken aback by it a brief second later, but she started thinking about Link's time in prison thanks to Zelda … who, in light of new information, probably wasn't the one calling the shots in that instance. How was fourteen years of imprisonment, torture, and possible mind control not enough for this man?

"As will Ganondorf." Zant pushed her forward, and she started walking again. "It speaks volumes of your confidence and arrogance that you consider yourself important enough to lure him to me. The Triforce of Power can do that very well."

"He tells me that I'm no good to him dead," said Ketura nonchalantly.

"Ah, yes! The way he hesitated at our last altercation – and you weren't conscious to see it, but he had the chance to strike me down. He could have done it! I had turned to run, not without launching another attack at your lifeless form first. My back was turned, and I fully expected him to take his shot then … but he didn't! Now tell me, Ketura: what do you think that means?"

"Um … uh … he likes me? I don't know."

Zant howled with laughter.

"He _likes_ you? Really? Are you two 'friends?'" Zant said mockingly. "That man is not capable of thinking of anybody but himself. I was his tool, and so are you. He saved you to serve his own agenda. And once you outlive your usefulness to him, you are expendable."

"And when I've outlived my usefulness to you?" She thought of his threat to turn her into a shadow creature.

"Ketura … at what point did I claim to be any different from him?"

A violent chill ran down her spine.

The sun set as Ketura took Zant past the largest tree in the forest and to the rope bridges leading to the Sacred Grove. "We're almost there," she assured him, while secretly hoping the stupid little plan she thought up would actually work, or at least give her a head start.

In the Sacred Grove, small patches of twilight streamed through the dense canopy of tree branches. Leaves had begun to fall from the branches, brown and dry, littering the ground and crunching under Ketura's feet as she stepped on them. "It's not too far away," she said calmly, walking towards an opening in the trees ahead. Before she got too far, branches above her head rustled, followed by a _whoosh_ , and the familiar laughter of Skull Kid.

So far so good, she thought.

"What is this?" Zant hissed, pointing at Skull Kid.

"Just a playful resident of these woods," said Ketura before turning to Skull Kid, who held its trumpet in one hand and looked up at Ketura with its large eyes. Skull Kid then raised its trumpet to its mouth and blew out a long, low note. Ketura turned around to face Zant and saw a dozen wooden puppets fall from the trees and converge on him. She took a few cautious steps away from Skull Kid, sidestepped Zant, and positioned herself to run.

"What is going on? Wha- get off me, you freaks!" Zant shrieked as the wooden puppets converged on him. One puppet swung its stiff arm at him, banging onto his helmet and making him flinch back slightly. "Ketura, what is this?"

Instead of responding, Ketura sprinted away; behind her, she heard the a _whoosh_ and a _crash_ , followed by the sound of sticks hitting the ground. Going as fast as she could, she followed the path she had gone last time she had been through the Sacred Grove, making sure to hold her bag to her chest so it didn't bounce around annoyingly. The twine and arrows she had left on trees were still present, and she made sure to follow them … until she heard Zant shriek, and he sounded too close for comfort. She ran faster through the grove, glancing over her shoulder on occasion, until she came across a long, thick, tree trunk laying on the ground, covered in moss and vines. Out of breath and needing to hide, Ketura threw herself behind the tree trunk and covered herself the best she could with the vines.

She breathed as quietly as she could, covering her mouth as she did with the collar of her jacket, and strained her ears to listen. He drew nearer and nearer, judging by how loud his footsteps gradually became, and she wanted to kick herself. Naturally he would check behind the tree first, she thought hopelessly.

"Where are you," he hissed before stepping forward, coming closer to where Ketura hid. She shut her eyes and ducked her head down – now that he knew she tricked him, there was no telling what would happen to her-

Somewhere, in that area of the woods, Skull Kid laughed, then blew on its trumpet before laughing again.

"You! Wretched imp child! Are you hiding them?" Zant asked.

Skull Kid laughed again.

"Come back here!" Ketura heard Zant shoot an attack, then run away from the fallen tree trunk. She waited a few seconds before extricating herself from the vines and peeking up over the top of the trunk, and was relieved to see that Zant had taken off – even deeper into the woods, probably to the old ruins of the Temple of Time. Seeing that as her chance, Ketura hopped to her feet and dashed away, following her path that would take her out of the Sacred Grove.

Once out of the grove, she slowed to a stop, bent over so that her hands rested on her knees, and took a moment to catch her breath. She smiled, and laughed amidst her desperate pants. "That actually worked!" she exhaled, quite pleased with herself. After allowing herself a moment to hold still and breathe, she resumed running.


	18. Seventeen

**SEVENTEEN**

In the northern Faron Field, just south of Castle Town, a bridge crossed a stream that came out of the woods and served as a tributary to the Zora River. The bridge's supports consisted of interconnected lattices of wood, with a small gap over the stream that was just big enough for Ketura to crawl through. She thought that nobody would bother to look for her under the bridge, and Zant would think that she either kept moving or opted to hide in the Faron Woods.

Maybe he hadn't escaped from Skull Kid yet. Maybe he had, and in retaliation he went back to Ordon Village to terrorize her grandfather and everyone else there. She didn't want to think about that, and if that did happen she would never forgive herself.

She sat under the bridge, on a piece of dry land, curled into a ball with her knees to her chest, as she tried to take slow, deep, quiet breaths. Her feet ached furiously, her lungs burned from being out of breath, and her heart pounded hard and fast. There was no telling when it would be safe to get up and go, the best way to get to Lake Hylia, or even if she could permit herself to sleep for a while first. Staying under the bridge forever was starting to seem like a good idea; all of the world's problems couldn't get to her there, and it required absolutely no running. She could stay there until everything was over, and then join her father –

When she thought about Link, she realized that hiding couldn't be an option for her.

Ketura's eyes shot upwards when she heard the wooden boards of the bridge groan under the weight of several pairs of feet. Whoever was up there took a few steps but then stopped. None of them spoke, and the silence unnerved her.

"He's not in Ordon Village, or the Faron Woods, and his child deceived me."

It was Zant. Her heart skipped a beat, and she held perfectly still.

"They could be anywhere in Hyrule … stay vigilant, and bring them to me. Look for men and girls with blue eyes – wolves too. Scan the entire land!"

Whoever else was up on that bridge with Zant took off, their feet moving swiftly – too swiftly to be human. It must have been some of his shadow creature minions, Ketura thought. She then heard a _whoosh_ , followed by a sound that was strange and almost musical in quality, accompanied by a flash of red and blue light that she could see from her current position. Yet she didn't know what it meant, and with Zant possibly still being up there, she dare not look.

A couple of hours passed by, during which nobody moved from the bridge and Zant didn't say anything else. He must have teleported away, Ketura thought. She still sat there, trying to make herself sleep, but her mind was too busy to allow that to happen. She worried about her own ability to make it to Lake Hylia in one piece, about her father, and about any innocent person with blue eyes who might get caught up in this mess now. Of course, Zant would soon realize that people brought to him were not who he was looking for and he would let them go … right? She closed her eyes, only intending to do so briefly, but dozed off instead.

She awoke to the hear voices above her, from people who had to be standing on the bridge. The two people spoke in low tones, and she couldn't hear what they were saying. She strained to listen harder, and still couldn't make anything out.

The conversation above her head stopped abruptly, as one of the parties sniffed quite audibly, as if it had detected something's scent.

"What is it?" one person asked, in a deep voice that clearly belonged to a man. He sounded familiar to Ketura.

"I smell something …" the other replied, their voice higher-pitched and raspy. "There's a human nearby, right under our noses – literally! A spy, maybe?"

The bridge shifted and creaked as someone took a step and jumped off. Knowing that whoever it was would probably come after her, Ketura positioned herself into a crouch, ready to run or defend herself. A few seconds later, a pair of eyes, small and gleaming in the moonlight, found her from a few yards away on the other side of the bridge's supports. "I knew it," they said, their raspy voice filled with satisfaction and glee.

Without thinking, Ketura thrust her hand forward and sent a burst of yellow light flying forward, breaking through the bridge's supports and knocking her would-be assailant flat on their back. She heard the second person on the bridge move and jump down, their feet slamming onto the ground with a heavy _thud_. She held her hand out in front of her, ready to strike again if she needed to. When a fire materialized in front of her, seemingly floating in midair, she formed another yellow sphere, but lowered her hand when she saw a face illuminated by the flame.

"Oh, did your father _really_ stick you underneath this bridge?" Ganondorf asked her incredulously. He shrunk the flame, which Ketura now saw had been resting in the palm of his hand, so it was large enough to provide light but not pose a sizeable threat.

"No, I stuck myself down here," Ketura responded. She ambled her way out from under the bridge, looked to the person she had attacked, and did a double take when she recognized them as a Bulbin.

"What are you doing here, then?" Ganondorf continued.

"Hiding from Zant – it's a long story. What are _you_ doing here? I thought you had gone to Lake Hylia!" Ketura glanced over to the Bulbin, who eyed her vengefully. "And can we really trust that guy?" she continued, nodding her head towards the Bulbin.

"Typical Hylian," spat the Bulbin. "Is this girl yours, Ganondorf?"

"She is an associate of mine, yes," said Ganondorf.

"She repulses me by not thinking I can be trusted! Why should I pledge my group to you, if we are going to be in the company of this mangy little rat who insults us? Perhaps I will pledge to Zant instead –"

"No, wait! I'm sorry! I really am! I didn't mean it!" Ketura cut the Bulbin off the instant he mentioned Zant. "Please don't go with Zant. He doesn't care about you, and he wants everyone that isn't Hylian to die because they can't survive being turned into one of his servant minion creature things."

The Bulbin looked at Ketura curiously. "Hmm, Zant got you scared, girl? Why's that, is he after you? I bet there's a bounty on that ugly head of yours!"

"That's enough," Ganondorf interjected.

"What? I don't know about humans, but by Bulbin standards she really is quite hideous."

"Gee, thanks," said Ketura, although she was partly glad to be considered ugly by Bulbin standards.

"Do we have an agreement or not?" Ganondorf asked the Bulbin in a no-nonsense tone.

The Bulbin huffed. "You can have my group … or you can have this girl. I don't want to be around her."

After a tense few seconds of silence, during which Ketura wondered what was going to happen or what she could do, she shrugged and said "I just remembered that I need to be on my way anyway, so I won't be a problem for you after tonight, good sir Mr. Bulbin … sir."

Ganondorf folded his arms across his chest. "You and your group would do well to join me, and your current attitude is disappointing. I hope you change your mind. In the meantime, I choose her."

Ketura looked at Ganondorf, baffled but slightly relieved.

"I see where your base loyalties lie, then. You're no different from any other human, Ganondorf, favoring your own kind." The Bulbin shot Ganondorf a hair-raising glare, which he then fixated onto Ketura. "It is good that when Zant is victorious, you will all become extinct." With that, he turned away and walked briskly to the western edge of the field, heading towards Eldin Province.

When the Bulbin was out of view, Ketura asked, "What's going on? You, with a Bulbin-"

"I left the others about halfway to Lake Hylia," said Ganondorf. He scanned the area briefly, then grabbed Ketura underneath her arm so he could lead her to the entrance of the Faron Woods. "I told Impa that if the world still needs to think I'm dead, then it would be unwise for me to go to Lake Hylia and reveal myself to her other rebel friends. They would be shocked to say the least, probably give me the same reception I received from your father and many others in that group, and maybe even spread the word. She didn't seem too thrilled that I went off on my own, but I assured her I would be doing the very important work of rallying other forces to join in the quest of destroying the Nohansen Dynasty and making Hyrule a prosperous equitable place for all."

" _Bulbins_ , though?" asked Ketura skeptically. "Also, why are we going to the Faron Woods?"

"To make camp for the night, of course," said Ganondorf. "And yes, Bulbins. Perhaps Lizalfos too, and Moblins, maybe even Darknuts. Think about it, Ketura. These beings have been pushed out of Hyrule for centuries, treated as worse than filth by humans, and risk their lives merely by being out in the open. They are just as oppressed and downtrodden as the Zoras were."

Ketura didn't say anything in response, figuring that on some level he was probably right.

"Now it's your turn. Why were you under that bridge?"

Ketura exhaled, then recounted everything that happened from the time she and Link left Lanayru Field, finishing with "I was planning to go to Lake Hylia next."

At this point, the two of them had found the cave where they had camped overnight the first time they came through Faron Woods. Ganondorf went inside first, casting Din's Fire to illuminate the space and flush out a pack of Keese, before Ketura entered.

"Why? Do you think that they can protect you from Zant?" Ganondorf inquired.

"Maybe … what, you think they can't and you're going to say you'd be better at it? I'm not looking for anyone to protect me. I want to be able to fight him."

"Now _that_ – you would be wiser to choose me over anyone else, even your father."

"You still want to train me," Ketura deduced, eyeing him with scrutiny and caution. She pulled her lantern out of her bag, lit it, and set it on the ground as she sat down.

"I cannot fight Zant alone. I would like to have an army, or at least another skilled sorcerer at my side fighting against him." Ganondorf replied as he sat down next to her.

"So _that's_ why I'm more useful to you alive," said Ketura, sounding slightly proud that she had figured out his secret. She followed her statement with a yawn, and the fleeting thought that something didn't quite add up. What she said seemed like to obvious and easy an answer to be the correct one.

After a split second of hesitation, Ganondorf nodded. "Yes. Yes it is."

"But wait – you could easily recruit someone who is already super skilled, couldn't you? That'd save you the time it takes to train me," said Ketura.

"It would actually take longer to hunt down a master sorcerer who would agree to ally themselves with me. Bulbins are easy, you just have to prove your strength and that you can help them." Ganondorf paused, gazing at her intently. "And don't forget, I am in your debt. Since you are the one who brought me back to life, I want to help you in any way I can."

"Okay – well then, um, I want you to keep training me. I also don't want any of your monster friends threatening to sell me out to Zant."

Ganondorf nodded. "Agreed. I will teach you everything I know. As far as my 'monster friends' are concerned, you are untouchable."

Ketura nodded, then looked away from him and towards the light in her lantern. Her dad would be so unhappy if he found out about this, she thought.

"Great, I appreciate that. Now - now that I guess we're 'officially' working together, do you mind telling me what all is going on? Like, what your grand master plan is?"

"You will know when the time is right," said Ganondorf. Ketura, resisting the urge to roll her eyes in disappointment, watched him pull a green glass bottle out of his pocket. There was no label on the bottle, and it was half-full with a clear colorless liquid.

"Have something to drink. You look like you need it," he said as he handed the bottle to her. Thinking it was water, she took the bottle when he handed it to her and uncorked it, only to be smacked in the nose with a strong odor that was not characteristic of water.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Are you telling me you've never had any kind of spirits before?"

"No, I haven't. My mom never drank so it was just not in the house." Holding her breath, Ketura raised the bottle opening to her lips, trying the best she could to position it so that the smell didn't affect her too much. When just a small amount of liquid made contact with her tongue, she immediately tasted the strong flavor of alcohol. It made her want to gag and spit it back out, but she swallowed it down; it left a burning aftertaste in her mouth.

"I don't understand how people drink this stuff," she said with a wince as she handed the bottle back to Ganondorf. Almost like he wanted to show off, Ganondorf took a hearty swig of the drink without as much as flinching.

"It's an acquired taste," he commented.

"It's disgusting," she rebutted, following with a large, loud yawn.

"Sleep," said Ganondorf.

She shook her head again, figuring that there would be no use in trying.

"At least lay down, and see if it overcomes you … Ketura, I just admitted that I need your help. Anyone or anything that thinks they can get past me to you is sorely mistaken."

"I appreciate how devoted you are to protecting your tools," said Ketura snidely as she lay down on her side and curled up with her knees almost touching her chest, positioning her bag to use as a pillow as she lowered herself down.

Not a peep came from Ganondorf in regards to her comment about her being his "tool." Maybe she was right about that, or maybe he didn't want to press the issue out of risking losing her cooperation. Still, she wished that he would at least give her a hint about what his plans were, and everything about how she fit into them - especially his endgame. In her last waking thoughts, she thought that if Ganondorf wasn't willing to outright tell her what he was planning, then she ought to prepare for the worst, and maybe even reconsider being around him.


	19. Eighteen

**EIGHTEEN**

The stars shone bright in the sky that night, almost brighter than the moon. Sitting near the cave's mouth, he looked up at the sky, through the tree branches, at a group of stars that formed a jagged line which ended in a diamond. It was a constellation – centuries ago, when he was a boy, his mother told him a story of a snake who was banished to the heavens by the Sand Goddess. He didn't remember the whole story, or that snake's name. He barely remembered his mother's face.

Ganondorf looked back to the earth, only to see the dark shadows and silhouettes of the trees, and hear the wind rustling vegetation as it added an extra chill to the air. From his pocket he pulled out his bottle of the drink, uncorked it, and took a sip of its contents. It definitely wasn't the best in the world, and in hindsight perhaps unfit for young people as their first drink. At this point, though, something to drink was better than nothing, and he took comfort in thinking of the fine wines and ales he drank in those bygone days of being king.

His eyes flickered back and forth, down the forest path that went on past the cave. No sign of Zant, or his minions, or even of Link coming through to see if his daughter was still safely tucked away in her original hiding place. Ganondorf understood that one would do anything when desperate, no matter how ill-conceived the idea, but the decision to leave Ketura and run was just _stupid_. It seemed like that was all Link knew how to do when it came to being a father, and it was cowardly behavior.

That was it, though. Link _was_ a coward, like the Hero of Time before him. Both men may have been blessed with the Triforce of Courage, but how did Hylians measure courage anyway? By how willing a person was to get themselves killed just because someone with authority asked them to? It was unlikely that either of those great Heroes ever had an original thought in their lifetimes. Link may have been courageous when it came to being Midna's lap dog, but not where it counted.

He concluded that between the father and daughter, Ketura was by far the braver one. She wasn't afraid to take action, to explore her capabilities and seek greater skills and power. She had the guts to take charge of her own destiny, instead of waiting for someone to tell her what it should be. Ganondorf admired and appreciated that; it made his work easier.

Something in the woods rustled. He stood up and stepped out of the cave, scanned the surrounding area, and then his eyes found Zant. Except – it wasn't Zant. His body had a bluish-green shimmer about it, and appeared near translucent.

"You," Ganondorf said quietly.

"Indeed. You didn't expect to find me projecting myself like this, did you?" asked Zant, his voice sounding distorted. "It comes in handy, though, when I need to be in two places at once. My real body is at Hyrule Castle, resting, but this way I can search these woods!"

"I must say I am impressed. This is one skill I never mastered, even when I was in my prime," said Ganondorf, and while he was genuinely impressed he also resented Zant's capabilities.

Zant cackled. "If this was seventeen years ago, I would consider such a statement the highest of praise! Now, however, it rings hollow coming from you, the false god."

Ganondorf glared at Zant, and exhaled heavily. "You were the one who thought I was a god, and I merely played the role for you."

"So that I would do your bidding! So that I could be your puppet! I devoted myself to you, body and soul, and what was my reward?! _You abandoned me_!"

"You built your own portal to travel between this realm and your home, did you not?"

"My work is not done here!" Zant exclaimed. "Everyone who has wronged me has not yet finished paying the price: Zelda, Link, Midna … _you_ most of all. I will save you for last, Ganondorf."

"I look forward to it," said Ganondorf flippantly.

The two men glowered at one another for a brief moment.

"Tell me, then, why are you searching the Faron Woods? Do you believe you will find Link here?" Ganondorf inquired.

"I may find him here, but do you remember precious little Ketura, his daughter? Of course you do, who am I kidding? You chose her over me! See, she led me away from Ordon Village to save the sweet little townspeople, then deceived me by trapping me in the Sacred Grove with that Skull Kid."

Ganondorf laughed heartily.

"It's _not_ _funny!_ And when I find her, I'm going to take her back to Ordon Village, kill every last living thing there, and make her watch … what are you doing in these woods, Ganondorf?"

There was a pause.

"You're looking for her too, aren't you?"

Thankfully, Ganondorf did not feel the temptation to glance back towards the cave. "Yes."

"I don't understand why, though," said Zant, "why it is that she interests you so much."

"My reasons are my own," said Ganondorf simply. "I'm assuming that you only want her to lure Link into a trap and eliminate him …."

"Oh, not only for that purpose, no – Ketura may prove herself to be of further use to me after her father's death, depending on whether _it_ passes to her or not." Zant paused, then let out a soft, melodic "Ohhh!"

"You want the same thing I want, don't you?" Zant asked.

Ganondorf said nothing, and kept his expression stoic. It was infuriating, how easily Zant could read him.

"You amuse me, Ganondorf. I bet you're hoping that I do the dirty work of killing Link _for you_ , so you can swoop in and claim victory for yourself like you always do! … Yes, you are going to do the exact same thing to that girl that you did to me, I sense it – I tried to warn her but she didn't pay attention. You've done a good job so far – too good, maybe. It may be harder for you to carelessly discard her than you did me."

"I did not discard you. It was not my fault that you fell in battle against Link and Midna, and it is not my fault that you chose to steal what is not rightfully yours," Ganondorf snapped, shaking his head at all of the baseless assumptions Zant made.

"Don't lie to me! If you find Ketura before I do, save your lies and deceit for her. As for me, I will be completely honest with her about what will happen … what about you? If she does not receive it, what will you do with her after filling her head with promises of power and prosperity?"

"If she does not disappoint me like you did, I will fulfill my promises," answered Ganondorf plainly.

Zant snickered. "I'm sure you will," he said snidely. His projection walked a little ways down the main road of the forest, stopped, then turned his head one last time to face Ganondorf.

"But none of that will matter if I find her first." Zant said, almost like a threat. He then moved forward – smoothly, almost like a glide – and out of Ganondorf's line of sight.

With a huff, Ganondorf went back inside the cave. The first thing that drew his eye was the small flame inside the lantern, casting some scant illumination onto the sleeping Ketura. She lay there, curled up, wearing that leather jacket much too large for her petite frame, and she shivered. He stood up and went inside, taking slow and soft steps as he approached her and took off his cloak. Once he stood over her, he crouched down and draped the cloak over her as if it were a blanket.

The other rebels had tread cautiously around him, cast him dirty looks or cursed him to his face. That was behavior he expected, after all, given his reputation and past deeds. It was natural to pretend that none of it bothered him, and for the most part he didn't. He didn't need to be liked. Ketura, though, was peculiar; he had expected her to fear and hate him as well, but she decided not to for whatever reason. He thought back to their first excursion into the Faron Woods, their conversation in that very cave, and he remembered how she looked at him at one point. Not like he was some kind of demon or monster or other loathsome entity, but like he was human. She knew who he was, but still regarded him like any other person – it was strange at first, but it soon became a welcome relief to have someone to talk to. Even if she was just a teenager who read too much and was hopelessly naive and thought herself more capable than she actually was, he had found her company to be very welcome.

Despite how he actually felt about Ketura as a person, there was one thing about her that truly bothered him. Her eyes. He had a hard time looking into that cursed blue which had haunted him since the Hero of Time, which had flashed with deadly malice as Link Lykos plunged the Master Sword into him, sealing itself as a constant reminder of how he failed so many years ago. Now, blue had returned to torment him for a third time.

He watched as she squirmed some and mumbled something under her breath before falling still again. What plagued her dreams, he wondered. It would be simple to find out, all he needed to do was reach out and press his hand to the side of her head. His fingertips were a mere inch from her temple when he stopped – there was probably nothing there worth finding, he needed her to trust him, and invading her privacy like that would not be conducive to that. Instead, he gently brushed her bangs out of her eyes and ran his fingers over the top of her hair, using the lightest of pressure. She stirred. He withdrew his hand and watched cautiously, to see if she would wake up. She didn't.

His gaze lingered on the sleeping girl's face, and he thought about his conversation with Zant. Of all the things Zant had figured out, without as much of a hint, it was amazing that he hadn't figured out that the one he sought hid only yards away. And somehow, she had slept through the whole thing, completely unaware of how everyone around her wanted to use her. While Zant certainly had no qualms of killing her once he was through with her, Ganondorf couldn't say that he would do the same. It would be disgraceful, he thought, to mistreat the one who gave him his life back. Everything he planned to promise her, she would receive. And even if she couldn't help him achieve his ultimate victory, conquering Hyrule would be a good place to start.


	20. Nineteen

**A/N** : This chapter contains a small section that could be construed as NSFW. If that's a concern for you, proceed with caution.

* * *

 **NINETEEN**

Aches and pains in her back and shoulders woke Ketura up. She lay still for a moment, trying to remember the last time she slept in an actual bed, only to realize it had just been a couple of days ago. Still, it felt like an eternity had gone by since then. At first she needed to recognize where she was, and then what all was happening, and finally accept that she wasn't trapped in a bizarre dream. On top of all of that, she needed to answer nature's call.

She sat up, shaking what looked like Ganondorf's cloak off of her and into an unceremonious pile on the ground. Maybe it was time to invest in a proper blanket, she thought while looking over to the mouth of the cave to see him leaning against the wall of the cave, legs stretched out, and asleep despite the bright sunlight shining on his face. Nothing else in the cave seemed to be amiss or out of the ordinary, and a quick inspection of the contents of her bag revealed that all of her food was still inside. It appeared that no monkeys had visited them in the middle of the night.

Ketura stowed her lantern in her bag, picked up the cloak, and dropped it beside Ganondorf as she made her way to the cave's exit, feeling bursts of soreness in her calves as she went. Once she took a step out, she heard a soft, deep groan behind her.

"Where are you going?" asked Ganondorf, groggy and squinting his eyes in response to the sunlight.

"I have to … you know." Ketura watched as he rose to his feet, grabbed his cloak, and secured it over his shoulders.

"All right. And then we should be on our way," said Ganondorf.

"On our way where?"

"Out of these woods. We shouldn't stay in one place for too long."

"Fine by me." She looked around and located a thick tree she could easily crouch behind, and took off towards it.

* * *

By nightfall, the two of them had made their way to the steep rocky wilderness beyond Death Mountain and the Goron Tribe's territory, making camp inside another cave carved out in the side of a cliff face. Death Mountain's peak, glowing from the magma in its crater, soared high above the surrounding mountains and rock formations. A Hylian military outpost sat on top of one hill, and they sidled along the side of the hill to stay out of the outpost's line of sight. The journey passed by relatively easily, with no surprise encounters, and very little conversation.

Now that it was actually time to train, just outside of the cave, Ketura wanted to curse her head off.

"Pay attention!" Ganondorf said as he hurled another sphere of light at her. Her objective was to dodge his attacks, without using magic herself. For the third time in a row, she took a hit.

"I am!" responded Ketura testily, wincing at the hot tingling pain in her shoulder where she had been hit. "That just came out of nowhere!"

"It came from me if you want to get technical, and do you expect Zant to warn you any time he tries to attack?"

"Well, no, but- Hey!" While Ketura was in mid-sentence, Ganondorf shot another attack at her, but she ducked to avoid being hit in the head.

"Exactly. So don't expect me to go easy on you." Ganondorf raised a hand in preparation to strike again, but paused and turned his head to the side. Ketura looked in the same direction as him, scanning the area to see what it was that interested him.

"What's-" she began, only to have him cut her off with "Shh!" Soon, she heard the soft rumble accompanying swift-moving footsteps, which soon revealed themselves to be from a pack of Lizalfos coming around from the bend and right towards them.

"I'll handle this," said Ganondorf as he stepped out into the pathway. The Lizalfos soon came to a screeching halt in front of him, looking equally puzzled and eager.

"Good evening," Ganondorf began, scanning his audience, "I was hoping we could discuss some business."

"What _kind_ of business?" the largest Lizalfos at the head of the pack asked. Ketura assumed that this one was the leader, given his taller stature and the gold paint on his breastplate. The other Lizalfos either had unpainted armor or wore none at all, and all of them had blue-green scales covering their bodies.

"If you grant me just an hour of your time, I will explain everything," said Ganondorf.

The lead Lizalfos looked over to Ketura. "And you even brought us dinner! How considerate."

"Dinner? She's barely a light snack! All skin and bones!" another Lizalfos protested.

"What kind of joke is this anyway? We don't know who you are, but you think it's funny to taunt us with a scrawny little Hylian like that? We're starving out here! Are you really going to tolerate his ramblings, Felk?"

Ketura rolled her eyes. "I'm not food!" she snapped.

"Yes, she's with me." Ganondorf said. "And trust me, Hylian women don't even taste that great."

Ketura raised her eyebrows at his last remark. If he were referring to cannibalism, she would not be surprised.

"But, there is an outpost for the Hylian army not too far from here. It'll have people there – men, even. Tall, large men with plenty of meat on their bones. I will take you there, make my proposition along the way, and you can all mull it over while feasting on those soldiers' flesh."

The Lizalfos looked around at each other, nodding to each other. Felk, their leader, said "You've got a deal, human. Let's go now."

Appalled by what she just heard, Ketura went to Ganondorf's side and quietly asked him "I don't have to go, do I?"

"No. You can stay at the cave if you'd prefer to do that," answered Ganondorf.

"Great. Awesome … you've done cannibalism in the past?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "No I haven't. I was –" he sighed. "I'll explain later." He joined the Lizalfos on the path, pointed down the road, and then led them in the direction in which he pointed.

Ketura returned to the cave, racking her brain to see if she could figure out on her own what Ganondorf was talking about when he said Hylian women didn't taste that great. If the answer she was given about his "compensation" joke was any indication, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Out of curiosity, she licked the skin on her forearm; it tasted mildly salty, but nothing particularly awful stood out to her.

Remembering she had a book in her bag, she got it out and opened it up to start reading. The brief blurb on the inside cover made it sound like a sappy romance novel, where a prince had to choose between two noblewomen even though he loved them equally. She did the best she could to stomach the flowery prose and insipid dialogue, and soon she wound up just staring at a spot on the page, not really reading, because her mind was full of other thoughts.

Running around, witness to deals being struck with some of the creatures that made living outside of Hyrule's major cities a nightmare, hearing plans to go slaughter humans as if they were livestock or prey to be hunted – that was not at all what she had signed up for. She had just wanted to find a quiet, remote spot to focus on her training, but apparently that was too much to ask of Ganondorf. And how would her father react when he found out where she was and who she was with? Then again, maybe he hadn't just left her to her own devices in the first place ….

She kept reading, through a scene at some ball for some duke's birthday, when the prince and one of his girlfriends ran off for a quick moment of intimacy. The passage graphically described the acts being performed, leaving Ketura to infer that the author was portraying sex, and at one point the prince said _"You taste so good, my darling._ "

Ketura's eyes grew large and her mouth gaped open as the realization hit her. A cold bath also sounded good in that moment. She couldn't decide if she wanted to throw the book far away from her and set it on fire, or to keep reading.

She kept reading. And then she reread that same passage a few times, and it ended with an overly drawn-out description of the noblewoman's appearance in that particular moment. Ketura had no problem imagining that woman in her mind's eye, almost exactly as the author described it, naked and glowing with a pearly gleam in her smile and her hips' soft curves. That passage left Ketura feeling a peculiar mixture of fascination and discomfort. She closed her eyes and imagined the noblewoman character again, only this time _she_ was there with that noblewoman, doing some things with her that she had been doing with the prince character ... she felt a strange tingling sensation in the space between her legs, and her hand slowly moved down towards there ... but then she snapped out of it and opened her eyes when she heard something moving towards her swiftly.

Ketura folded down the corner of the page she was currently on, set the book down, and looked to see a Lizalfos running in her direction. She stood up and watched the Lizalfos approach, stopping just a few yards in front of her. This Lizalfos stood just a couple of inches taller than her; unlike the others, whose bodies were composed of lean muscle, this one was scrawny, with scales whose color was fading.

"I am Grath," said the Lizalfos, bowing slightly. "Your companion sent me back to keep an eye on you."

"Oh – all right," said Ketura, thinking that Ganondorf and Felk should have just left a guard before leaving. "Hi, Grath. My name's Ketura."

Grath smiled, showing off rows of sharp pointed teeth. "Are you scared of us? I know humans often are."

"Um, no. Not really. I've met scarier creatures," said Ketura, remembering the Boss Bulbin and how important it would be to not insult the Lizalfos.

A moment of awkward silence passed by.

"Your companion, does he keep you well fed?" asked Grath.

"Actually, I'm the one who feeds him," answered Ketura jokingly.

"Ah, I see … he is leading the others to where those soldiers are, and if they succeed it will be a feast like we haven't had in a long time. It's hard to survive when your only food is any wayward traveler or the occasional Keese. Keese taste terrible! Bitter, nauseating flavor!"

Ketura nodded along as he spoke.

"I am _so hungry_ , Ketura. So much that I'm too weak to fight anymore."

There was a pause, during which Ketura felt a pang of sympathy for Grath and the other Lizalfos. Then a though crossed her mind.

"Wait … if you're too weak to fight, why were you the one who was sent to guard me?" she asked.

Grath blinked, then spoke. "Well, I can't fight against a big group of Hylian soldiers!"

"Well, then who do you think would come attack _me?_ " Ketura rebutted. As remote as this area past Death Mountain was, she still wouldn't put it past Zant to show up, and there was no way Grath would last against him.

"You ask a lot of questions. It's really annoying," said Grath testily.

"What you're saying doesn't make a lot of sense," replied Ketura.

"You know what? I'm done messing around!" Grath drew a rusted, bloodstained dagger from his belt and swung it at Ketura. She jumped out of the way and looked back at Grath, stunned by what happened.

"Hylian soldiers may be too much for me, but you're small and weak. Easy prey!"

It was good that she had just practiced dodging, Ketura thought as she evaded Grath's swipes at her. She debated whether or not to attack back, knowing fully that he intended to make a meal of her but at the same time worried about how doing so would damage the relationship between Ganondorf and the other Lizalfos.

"Didn't you pay attention? I'm not supposed to be eaten! I taste all weird and salty, and there's not much meat on me anyway! I think you'd rather wait for everyone else to get back so there's –" Ketura jumped away as fast and far as she could when Grath turned suddenly, swinging his tail around at great speed in an attempt to knock her over.

"You weren't sent to keep me company, were you?" she asked.

"Of course not!" Grath moved closer, swiped his dagger at her repeatedly, and she evaded each time. Then, he swiftly followed with another swing of his tail, moving too fast for Ketura to avoid. She soon found herself on the ground, flat on her back, having hit her head hard on the ground, and with Grath standing over her.

"Don't. Move." Grath said as he lowered himself down so that only a few inches of space separated his face from hers, close enough for her to feel his hot putrid breath on her skin.

"Or what, you'll kill me? You're gonna do it anyway, might as well get it over with," said Ketura, nervous and aware that that would be a very possible outcome, although she didn't want it to be.

As Grath raised his dagger in the air, Ketura reached up with her right hand, forming a flame using Din's Fire, and pressed her palm against the side of his face. She heard a loud sizzling sound, followed by Grath's shrieks of agony, and felt an intense burning pain in her own hand, causing her to cry out herself.

Grath backed away, and Ketura got a good view of the raw bloody burned spot on his face, and smoke flew outwards from it. "What did you do to me?!" he howled.

"If you don't stop I swear to the Gods I will do a lot worse than that," hissed Ketura as she stood up, hoping that she looked and sounded even the tiniest bit intimidating. The time to worry about how Ganondorf and the other Lizalfos would react to this incident was over. For good measure, she used her left hand to create a sphere of bright light and shot it into the wall of the cave, right above Grath's head. Grath ducked and threw his arms over his head as shimmers of light and pieces of rock exploded overhead and showered down to the ground around him.

"If you kill me then either my people will reject your friend or your friend will reject you. And then what will you do?"

"I'll get by somehow," Ketura fired back before wincing in pain. She glanced down at the palm of her right hand to see that it too had been burned. The skin was open, pink, glistening, bleeding, and painfully warm.

Grath looked away from her towards the road, and Ketura heard the sounds of other Lizalfos chattering and crying out in jubilation. He dashed out and went to join them, and Ketura hung back slightly, although she positioned herself to see that Ganondorf and the rest of the pack were the ones coming up. Each of the Lizalfos dragged the corpse of a Hylian soldier behind them, and each corpse bore some type of wound to their neck, chest, or stomach area that was dark red and left a trail of blood in the dirt behind the pack. Felk's prize had been completely ripped open, so that intestines hung out and trailed along the ground. Her stomach turned when she saw it.

"Where have you been, Grath?" Felk barked upon seeing Grath.

"That girl – she's crazy! She attacked me, see?" Grath pointed to the burn on his face.

The Lizalfos all looked past Grath up to Ketura. Ganondorf's stony gaze found her as well.

"Well, he attacked me first!" Ketura protested, bounding down the path to join everyone else. "He stayed behind so he could try to eat me!"

"That's not true! I just wanted to stay behind, keep her company, but she _hates_ Lizalfos. Thinks we're the scum of the earth, and she said she was going to kill me!"

"You deserted our hunting party! How do you justify that?" Felk countered.

"I- I- but- she- look what she did to my face!"

"Enjoy these soldiers, because that is the last meal I am helping you hunt. I am revoking my proposition," Ganondorf said firmly to Felk.

"But- but- you can't do this! Please!" stammered Felk, practically begging.

Ganondorf looked from Felk to Grath to Ketura, then back to the Felk. "You have a problem with discipline, and Grath seems to be the weak link. Do away with him, and my offer will still stand." He stepped away from the pack to join Ketura's side, then rested a hand on her shoulder to guide her towards the cave.

"We are leaving at sunrise. I expect your answer by then."

Ketura looked over her shoulder to shoot Grath one last contemptuous glare.

"I did not mean for that to happen," Ganondorf said quietly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, besides this," said Ketura as she showed him her burned palm. "I swear, he attacked me first, and I defended myself."

Back in the cave, Ketura used her left hand to dig through her bag for the pouch of medical supplies. Inside the pouch she found some ointment and bandages, and clumsily applied the ointment to her burn. The ointment stung at first, but then provided a much needed cool relief.

"So, what is your proposition to the Lizalfos?" she asked casually as she watched Ganondorf light the lantern and set it in front of them.

"If they fight with me, I will let them devour the entire Hylian army," said Ganondorf nonchalantly. An aghast Ketura let her mouth gape open.

"It's extreme, I know, but it is a necessity," he added.

"Well, has anyone ever tried playing nice?"

"History books are full of stories about those people, and they're usually considered the 'losers.'" Ganondorf's eyes found the book Ketura had been reading; he picked it up, opened it, and read the inside front cover. "This sounds like rubbish – you actually enjoy it?"

"No, but it's something to read," she answered. "And … I figured out what you meant. With your comment about how … you know. How women taste."

He nodded, looking slightly relieved that he wouldn't need to explain himself again.

* * *

Anticipation and the pain in her hand kept Ketura from fully falling asleep. She dozed off a couple of times, leaning against the wall and watching the starlit world outside the cave, and thinking about her father. Hopefully he was all right, and far away from Zant – or maybe he had already killed Zant and nobody else knew about it. Regardless, she longed for her house in Kakariko, where the two of them could really live like a family; Midna could come with them too. Right then it seemed like her entire life had just been hiding out in caves and the wilderness, sleeping on the cold ground, facing various foes, and accumulating various injuries along the way. She wanted it to be over. She wanted to wake up and be home, in her familiar bed in her familiar house with the big hole in the roof that needed to be repaired, in a place where she felt safe.

She dozed off again, dreaming of when her nine-year-old self went berry-picking with her mother, when a soft _thud_ snapped her to attention. She looked up to see Felk standing a few feet away, with Ganondorf at his side … and the head of another Lizalfos lying on the ground in front of her. The head's eyes were still wide open, as was the mouth, and Ketura soon noticed the burned patch of flesh on the side of its face.

"A token of our goodwill," hissed Felk. "Grath had always been a pain in the tail anyway."

"I believe you made a wise decision," said Ganondorf.

"My pack is at your disposal, and we will convince others to join us," said Felk.

Ganondorf's mouth formed a crooked smile. "Excellent. Bring your pack and anyone else you recruit to the Gerudo Desert in six weeks' time, and meet us in the ruins of the old fortress outside the Arbiters Grounds."

"Of course. Thank you, Ganondorf. You are mighty and most generous." With that, Felk bowed and ran off, down the road and out of sight.

Ketura finally peeled her eyes away from Grath's dismembered head to look up at Ganondorf. "I take it our next stop is the desert," she commented as she started gathering her things into her bag, being careful to not put any pressure on her right palm.

He nodded slowly, hesitating before speaking. "Eventually. There may be a few detours along the way."

"And then … then what happens in six weeks?" she asked, slightly apprehensive about his answer.

Ganondorf did not answer her. "We should be moving," he said instead.


	21. Twenty

**TWENTY**

Five days later, Ketura found herself sitting alongside the Zora River in Lanayru Field, doing the best she could to splash ice-cold water from the river on her face with only her left hand. A grimy-feeling film of dirt and sweat had accumulated on her skin, and a bath sounded nice – if she could find time to herself to make that happen. Her hair felt greasy, patches of the burn wound on her hand were turning black and green and oozing pus, and a large zit had formed on her forehead, just above her eyebrow, and it hurt anytime she stretched or scrunched the skin around her eye. On top of that, she wished she had a better-fitting jacket or at least a scarf and gloves to help keep her warm as temperatures dropped.

When she went to her bag to grab something to eat, she found nothing. She then located Ganondorf, who leaned against a nearby tree, eating a chunk of goat cheese.

"Did you get that out of my bag?" she asked him. Although now accustomed to him just getting things from her bag as he wanted them, the combination of seeing him carelessly chowing down while her stomach growled irked her.

"Yes," he said casually in between bites.

"That's the last of the food," Ketura informed him.

"Well," Ganondorf said, glancing down at the goat cheese, "we can always get some more. Do you know how to hunt?"

"No. I- I'm not hunting! I only have thirty Rupees, so- Castle Town's not too far away." Ketura pointed towards the Tower of the Gods. "I can get some more food, and maybe more money, and some better medicine because I think my hand's infected with something-"

"I don't think going to Castle Town is a good idea," said Ganondorf.

"You don't have to come," retorted Ketura. "Go find your other monster friends. Things might go smoother without me around," she added, thinking about what had happened with Grath.

Ganondorf opened his mouth to speak, but then paused briefly before continuing. "Perhaps you are right about that. I was planning to scout for a clan of Moblins. They usually respond well to having young women presented to them as gifts, so they might get the wrong impression from your being there."

"Are you going to find some other girl, then?"

"Gods no! I don't know how so many races think it's acceptable to treat women as property … they also enjoy gold and other precious trinkets as tribute, if memory serves me correctly."

Ketura nodded thoughtfully. "Well, have fun with your Moblins and your gold mining. And you know where to find me." She slung her bag over her shoulder and turned south to face the Tower looming over Hyrule Castle.

"I would like you to meet me outside of the city at midnight, the day after tomorrow," said Ganondorf.

"For what?" asked Ketura.

"To continue training, of course … and to check in."

Ketura raised her eyebrows.

"Zant likely has eyes all over the city, so watch yourself."

"And I guess you want me indoors once the sun goes down?" she joked.

"Well, I certainly would not object to that self-imposed curfew," said Ganondorf.

Ketura chuckled. "If you keep that up, you'll start sounding like my dad."

* * *

Four guards stood outside the eastern gate into the city. Ketura approached them, holding her head high to appear confident while trying to ignore the furious little butterflies in her stomach. Just as expected, the guards stopped her, grabbed her bag, and searched through it while asking her questions.

"What is your business in the city?"

"I'm looking for work," she said automatically.

"What kind of work?"

"Anything I can find. I'm not too picky."

"Hmm, cute girl like you won't have any problems getting hired in a shop. One look at them blue eyes, and ... do you have any family here?"

"No. They're all back home, and I'll be sending them the money I earn."

"Your jacket?"

Ketura removed her jacket and handed it to the guard, who turned out all the pockets and stuck his hands through the sleeves. "And where is 'home?'" he asked.

"Lake Hylia."

The guard scrutinized her face, and she hoped she didn't somehow express that she was lying about everything. She tried to keep her expression neutral yet firm, while mentally inventing a backstory about how her uncle's gambling addiction led them to losing the family farm, when the guard handed her jacket and bag back to her.

"All right then, miss. The contents of your bag check out. Welcome to Castle Town! Keep in mind that the curfew is midnight for civilians, unless you have a special permit, you have an escort of soldiers, or you are going to and from services at a temple. If you are caught out after curfew you are subject to a fine and other disciplinary actions for subsequent violations, including but not limited to spending the night in prison. There is also a moral code you must abide by while inside the city limits and it is posted publicly in many venues for your convenience – again, you can be fined or imprisoned for breaking any part of the code. And … I think that about covers it. Enjoy your time in Castle Town, and I pray the Goddesses grant you good fortune."

* * *

Just like the last time Ketura had briefly visited, Castle Town bustled with activity. People filled the streets, walking at varying paces, yelling greetings to each other or pleas to examine the wares they were selling. Someone bumped into her and nudged her out of their way as they sped on down the street, evidently in a hurry to be somewhere important. A group of women in front of her moved at a leisurely pace – too leisurely for her liking, so she turned onto the East Road the first opportunity she got.

Her stomach growled again as she went down East Road and onto a side street lined with merchant stands and storefronts; all of the buildings were new and pristine-looking and the people wore expensive-looking clothes with elegant combinations of colors and patterns. She passed by several stands that sold food because they all sold intricate, fancy-sounding dishes with multiple ingredients and specialized cooking techniques, and they sold for two hundred Rupees a plate. At the end of the road stood a bakery, where a loaf of plain wheat bread sold for forty-five Rupees.

"How does anyone afford to eat in this city," she muttered under her breath as she watched a woman inspect colorful scarves being sold at one booth. Maybe there would be someplace where she could get cheaper food, and Malo Mart would only be a last resort.

She wandered on down that side road, and along the way the buildings became progressively less nice-looking, and there was no place in sight where she could buy food. Ketura began to wonder if she just needed to find a way to acquire some extra money. Signs posted on the fronts of buildings caught her attention: announcement for an upcoming concert, public invitation to a wedding, advertisement for a sale at a boutique, and the basics of the "moral code" the guard had warned her about. She skimmed over it to see prohibitions on several activities: public drunkenness, indecent and immodest dress, enticing others to lust, out-of-wedlock relations between a man and a woman, any kind of relations between two men or two women, adultery, uttering foul language, disrespecting the Princess or her escort Lord Daphnes, disrespecting the Apostles of the Goddesses, and desecration of the temples or the Accords of the Goddesses. All for the preservation of a just and righteous society fitting of the Goddesses' chosen people, according to the notice. Ketura was surprised that attending temple services wasn't mandatory.

A few blocks down, she saw large posters that made her stop dead in her tracks.

KETURA LYKOS

FUGITIVE WANTED BY THE CROWN

Physical descriptors: aged fifteen years, approximately five feet and two inches in height, brown hair, blue eyes, perhaps carrying a sword, may be accompanied by her father Link Lykos

Wanted for: unlawful use of sorcery, consorting with known enemies of the Realm, treason, conspiring against the Crown

Reward: 10,000 Rupees for live capture. Assume her to be armed and dangerous.

No wonder the guards asked her so many questions, she thought. Next to that one was one for her father:

LINK LYKOS

FUGITIVE WANTED BY THE CROWN

Physical descriptors: aged thirty-four years, approximately five feet and eleven inches in height, dark blonde hair, blue eyes, possesses a sword, known to be clad in green, also capable of transforming at will into a large brown wolf, may be accompanied by his daughter Ketura Lykos

Wanted for: dereliction of duty to the Crown, treason, conspiring against the Crown, consorting with known enemies of the Realm, escaping from prison, murder

Reward: 10,000 Rupees for live capture. He will be armed and very dangerous.

On down the line were similar posters for other criminals, including ones for Impa, Colin, and Ashei. Ketura began to question if would be wise to stay in Castle Town just as her stomach grumbled again.

She turned around and jumped when she saw someone standing across from her: a tall, muscled man with a well-trimmed black beard and a knife strapped to his thigh. Part of her suspected that he was going to try and bring her in and collect that bounty.

"You new to town?" he asked her gruffly.

"Yeah," said Ketura, eyeing him with caution.

"I'd watch myself if I were you. Ever since those posters went up, teenage girls with blue eyes have started vanishing right and left because some punk who really wants that reward money will take any random girl off the street hoping it's _her_ ," the man said as he pointed to the posters on the wall.

"Okay. Thanks for the tip … say, you know where I can get something to eat for less than thirty Rupees?"

"Try the South Road."

"Thanks, sir."

She found the East Road again, making sure as she walked to keep her head down just enough so she could see ahead of her but make it hard for anyone else to notice the color of her eyes. On occasion, she would look over her shoulder to make sure that the man she had encountered did not follow her; by the time she passed a large, brightly colored circus tent called the "Castle Town STAR Tent" she had seen no sign of him. Up ahead, she saw a woman accidentally bump into a man clad in white robes on her way out of the austere-looking stone temple. The robed man bowed to the woman, and the woman then went on her way in a huff after accepting his apology. On the ground in front of the robed man lay something gold and shiny. Nobody else had noticed it, much less the white-robed man who now returned to the inside of the temple, but Ketura rushed forward to take a look at it.

It was a necklace, golden and gleaming in the sunlight. Ketura picked it up, then scanned the people in the street for any sign of the woman who had dropped it. That woman was nowhere to be seen, and Ketura looked down at the necklace in her left hand, unsure of what to do next.

"Excuse me, miss, are you selling jewelry?" a twelve-year-old boy, wearing an embroidered silk tunic and clean-pressed trousers approached her. He held a bulging leather pouch in his hand.

"Uh … yeah. I'm selling this necklace. How much will you pay for it?"

"Well _now_ I would rather pay for an instructor to improve your grammar, but I have three hundred Rupees so I will pay three hundred Rupees."

"Then I will gladly accept three hundred Rupees for it," said Ketura, thinking that soon her poster would also show that she had stolen a necklace and sold it … as well as for slapping a snobby little boy. Her grammar was just fine, she thought.

After exchanging money for the necklace, Ketura asked "Who is this necklace for?"

"It's for my mother. Her birthday is near, and she loves jewelry … that is _for whom I am buying this necklace_." His tone oozed mockery and condescension.

"Have a nice day." Ketura headed south on the road until she could disappear into another side street, thinking she would suffocate if she had to spend another moment on the East Road.

* * *

In the middle of South Road, outside a library, more men in white robes congregated in the middle of the street, holding thick leather-bound books above their heads. Some people gathered around to hear what they had to say, while other passerby looked on while going around them and about their way. One of the men wore a blue sash around his shoulders, and he preached to anyone and everyone who lent him their ears. Ketura leaned against the side of a toy store, out of the way and out of sight, waiting for the hubbub to dissipate.

"Guard the hearts and minds of your children, and keep them pure! Instruct them using the divine words found in the Accords of the Goddesses, so that they will be righteous and not be tempted by evil!" He held the book in his hand higher above his head; Ketura looked harder to see the respective symbols of the Goddesses – Din, Nayru, and Farore – engraved in gold on the cover.

"The Judgment of the Goddesses is coming quickly! Be prepared, be holy, be righteous, or suffer the eternal consequences!"

Ketura rolled her eyes.

"Sin is all around us, my brethren. There are these wretches who violently protest the rule of Her Majesty, who was anointed by the Goddesses to reign over Hyrule. The freedom that these 'Liberators' promise is not worth the cost to your soul, brethren! Forget not how even our once mighty Hero has fallen, and is dragging his precious child down with him. Even here, close to where we are, is the den of licentiousness where men are led astray with intoxicating drink and immoral revelries. We Apostles are petitioning Her Majesty to close this establishment, imprison its proprietress, and aid our efforts to save the souls of Hyrule before it is too late!"

People in the crowd began shouting out in response.

"Amen! Praise the Goddesses!"

"Are you talking about Telma's bar?"

"Repent, sinners!"

"Proclaim the truth!"

"Not Telma's place? She serves the best cheesed taters in all of Hyrule!"

Ketura's ears perked up when she heard the mention of cheesed taters.

"You're full of it. How do you know the end is near, anyway?" One man got in the face of the Apostle who had been preaching.

"I had a vision, that is how I know. I saw a great fire, and shadows, and the Demon King himself waging war and destruction on our fair land. And then a great rainfall washed everything away –"

"Wow, sounds _really_ riveting, and just like the last three visions you preached about in your sermons. When were those supposed to happen, by the way?"

For every skeptic like that man, Ketura estimated that there were maybe two or three others who honestly believed what the Apostles had to say. Her stomach growled again, accompanied with hunger pangs, so she carefully stepped out into the street, making sure to keep her head down, and she found the scrawny-looking teenage boy who had shouted out about the cheesed taters.

"Excuse me, how do I get to Telma's bar from here?" she asked him.

"That way a few blocks, take a right past the flower stand, it's tucked away with the old abandoned apartment building and the entrance to the sewers," he said as he pointed down the street.

"Thanks," said Ketura, and she scurried off.

Just in and out, she told herself as she made her way to the bar. Get some food, maybe see about a to-go option, and move on. Hopefully the place wouldn't be crawling with Hylian soldiers or bounty hunters.

She found the bar, and when she went inside found it to only be occupied by one person. This one person, a woman, stood behind the bar and wrote something down on a piece of paper as she used her free hand to twirl a strand of her red hair. It may have been the dim lighting of the bar, but her skin looked slightly darker than that of an average Hylian, but not by much. She wore three dots of colorful makeup under each eye, and multiple piercings in her ears.

The woman looked up from her paper when she heard the door open and close. "You seem awful young for this kind of place," she said bluntly.

"I, uh, heard you had the best cheesed taters in town. From just someone off the street … um … I'm new in town, and cheesed taters are my favorite food, so I'd like some. Please."

"Sure, hun. Come on up. I'll get that started for you."

Ketura sat down at the bar. "Thanks … Telma, right?"

"The one and only!" said Telma with a wink before she walked off through a door behind the bar.

While Telma was off in what had to be the kitchen, Ketura's eyes wandered to find the papers lying on the bar just a foot away from her. She leaned in some to read it, but found just a stringed-together mishmash of words that made no sense or had any logical flow. She did, however, recognized Impa's pseudonym "Truthful Eyes."

Telma returned, picked up the papers, folded them up, and stuck them in her apron pocket. "What happened to your hand?" she asked, pointing to Ketura's bandaged hand.

"I burned it, trying to make a campfire," said Ketura casually. "Guess I'm not cut out for the outdoors."

"Clearly not," said Telma with a chuckle. She then paused, looking at Ketura intently, before saying "You remind me of someone I know – must be the eyes –"

"Who?" Ketura asked, her stomach fluttering.

"Just an old friend. Only seen him once in the last sixteen years, though."

"Are you talking about Link Lykos?"

Telma jumped, then quickly scanned the rest of the bar before continuing. "Yes I am. Why do you – wait a minute … you're Ketura aren't you? No no no, don't get up! I'd cut both my hands off before I turned you in to the authorities, hun! Relax."

Ketura leaned to the side, ready to bolt if she needed to, but then shifted the entirety of her weight back onto the barstool.

"Remind me again what your mother's name is?" asked Telma.

"Ilia."

"And the color of _her_ eyes?"

"Green." Ketura wasn't sure why Telma was asking about her mother.

"And the name of the horse she had back in Ordon Village?"

"My mom never had a horse, but my dad did, and she really liked that horse. Epona."

Telma smiled knowingly. "I know. I knew your mom too. I just wanted to make sure you really were who you said you were." She patted her apron pocket. "So, what brings you to Castle Town, then? I'd heard from Impa that you and your dad had gone your own way after the hideout got attacked."

"Just looking for food," replied Ketura. "And some medicine for my hand. Maybe a shower too."

"Well your taters will be ready in a bit, and you can take a shower upstairs in my flat. Hell, you can stay here as long as you like. A group of our people will be here later tonight, and Luda will be with them. She'll fix up your hand, I bet."

"Wow. Thank you," said Ketura.

About twenty minutes later, Telma brought out a bowl filled with a mix of gooey melted cheese, chunks of potatoes, and bits of bacon. Ketura dug in eagerly, holding her fork awkwardly in her left hand but still managing to scoop shovelfuls of the cheesed taters in her mouth. She didn't care how scalding hot it was, only that it _was_ warm, and the savory comforting flavors delighted her tastebuds. It was like paradise in her mouth, after eating cold food for days. Figuring out how to rendezvous with Ganondorf later could wait.

"This is the best I've had in a long time," she said in between bites.

"Why thanks, hun. It's on the house."

* * *

Not only did eating lift Ketura's spirits considerably, but taking a shower did as well. Even though washing herself with only one hand was a bit of a challenge (as was making sure to keep her right hand dry the whole time) she enjoyed getting the smells of sweat and earth and Lizalfos off of her. The big red zit over her eyebrow may not have gone away immediately, but at least her hair was soft and clean again.

She braided her still-damp hair, got dressed, and headed back downstairs to see some familiar faces around the bar, in addition to some new ones. Luda and Colin were there, talking to a tall brunette man with impressive biceps and a protruding gut. Ashei conversed with a gruff-looking old man who carried a sword and looked quite fit for his age. Dangora stooped over a book with a middle-aged man with glasses and streaks of gray in his red hair. Impa and Telma spoke to each other over glasses of wine.

She approached the group cautiously, and slowly gained peoples' attention. Luda grabbed her first and pulled her into a brief hug. "How are you?" she asked, then immediately noticed Ketura's bandaged hand. "Let me look at that." Luda grabbed Ketura's hand, removed the bandage, and winced when she saw pus and other clear fluids oozing out of the wound. "How did this happen?"

"I burned myself," said Ketura, wondering how often she would need to repeat that.

"Drink this." Luda whipped out a small bottle filled with a viscous crimson liquid. Ketura obeyed, noting the potion's strong flavor, followed by a strange tingling sensation in her hand. She looked down, amazed to see her skin completely growing back over the burn and the pus sloughing off. "Wow" was all she could say.

"Nobody ever teach you how to make a campfire?" Colin asked in jest.

"Well Ilia wasn't ever much of a camper!" the tall brunette man standing next to Colin chimed in, then fixed his attention on Ketura. "You must be Link's kid. I'm Talo."

"Nice to meet you, Talo," said Ketura. She gazed down at her right hand, flexed it, applied light pressure to it with the tips of the fingers on her left hand, and was pleased that it didn't hurt.

The doors of the kitchen swung open, revealing Zahrain and his twin sisters. Telma turned around when she heard the door, paused, and then she grinned as she pulled Nabira and Levali into her arms. Zahrain joined in the hug, mostly because Telma yanked him into it.

"Did you know that they're all siblings?" Colin whispered to Ketura.

"No, I didn't," she said, thinking that with her lighter skin and fuller features Telma looked almost nothing like her brother and sisters. Perhaps she had a different father.

"I want to know about whatever secret entrance is in the kitchen," remarked Talo.

"Yeah me too," said Ketura. "Must make it easier to get in and out of the city without the guards noticing."

Almost as if it was on cue, the kitchen door swung open again. Link stepped through, Midna floating in the air alongside him, and the two scanned the room to see who was there. Immediately, Ketura pushed her way to the bar, jumped up and over it, and once she landed back on her feet she threw her arms around her father.


	22. Twenty-One

**TWENTY-ONE**

Link soon pushed away from his daughters' embrace so he could look at her. "Ketura? What are you doing here?" he asked as the look of joy on his face melted into one of confusion.

"I couldn't stay in the woods because Zant showed up, so I left, and I came here to find food," Ketura explained quickly. In her initial rush to get to him she didn't notice his nose, but now that she was up close she noticed the bruises on and around his nose, with a sweat- and blood-stained bandage across its bridge. Some dried blood also coated the rims of his nostrils.

"What happened to your nose?"

"I also had an untimely run in with Zant," said Link. He glanced over to Impa, then back to Ketura. "Good thing you're safe … how did you escape him?"

"Ever run into that pesky Skull Kid that lives deep in the woods?"

Link chuckled.

"But, uh … Telma said I could stay here with her for as long as I want, and I think I'll do that. Even if there is a ten thousand Rupee reward for my live capture." Ketura continued.

"What? What are you talking about?" gasped Link.

"Oh, you haven't seen the posters? Both of us are wanted criminals now. You're worth ten thousand too."

His expression hardening, Link turned his head to the side. "Impa! Did you know about that?" he asked Impa.

"About what?" replied Impa.

"That the Crown decided to put bounties on Ketura and me. This is probably another ploy by Zant to get to us!"

"Then I guess we'll have to be extra careful with security later."

Link sighed.

"What's going on?" Ketura asked.

"I'm supposed to give a speech at a rally tonight," said Link.

"The one I helped you write? Cool! I- I think you'll do great, Dad," said Ketura.

"You really think so?" said Link bashfully. "I even memorized it. Just … I'm worried now, that's all."

Midna, who had silently been watching up to that point, said "If anything goes wrong I can get you out of there fast. You know that," she said to Link, trying to sound reassuring.

Link nodded. "Take Ketura first, please." He faced his daughter. "I trust Telma with every fiber of my being, Ketura, but Castle Town isn't the safest place for you to be."

"Dad ... nowhere's safe," she replied.

* * *

A small park sat nestled in a neighborhood off the West Road, surrounded by the streets and respectable-looking houses and buildings. Not many people were out on the street at night, besides those coming or going from restaurants and shops with late hours. One of these shops sold womens' clothing and accessories; for a total of one hundred and fifty Rupees Ketura bought herself a pair of leather gloves and a thick woolen scarf. Link had waited for her outside the shop, and then the two of them swiftly crossed the street to get to the park.

The park was already slowly filling up with people, enticed by the presence of the other rebels who wore their blue hooded uniforms, masks, and their bold red insignias. Ketura felt the excitement and anticipation in the air as she looked at those people and heard the buzz and dull roar of their conversations. There had to be a few hundred people there, she estimated. She put her new gloves on and wrapped up the scarf so that it covered the top of her head and most of her face, hoping it would keep her warm in the chilly night.

Link took her hand and led her into the park, and the crowd fell silent as the two of them moved towards a statue of the Goddess Farore. Ketura looked around, feeling a bit uneasy being so close to the center of attention, and noticed that some rebels had interspersed themselves in the crowd in addition to surrounding the statue. Once the two of them drew closer to the statue, Link let go of Ketura's hand, leaving her standing towards the front of the crowd as he stepped up onto the raised pedestal where the stony Farore's feet stood.

"Good evening everyone," he began stiffly while he readjusted his footing at the top of the pedestal. The crowd fell silent.

"I'm Link Lykos – well, I shouldn't need to tell you that. You probably already know. Um …."

All Ketura could think was that was not how his speech started.

"When- when I was called upon to defend Hyrule from evil, I did so without hesitation and without question. It was my duty and my destiny. And I may have vanquished a great looming darkness many years ago, but I did not expect that darkness had grown in the heart of Princess Zelda. The story you may know is that I betrayed the Realm, but the truth is that she threw me in prison because I refused to kill innocent people." Link paused and looked around at the people watching him, swallowed hard, then looked to find Ketura. When their eyes met, Ketura gave him an affirming nod.

"Now, is this a ruler fit to lead the land and people blessed by the Goddesses? Someone who orders the deaths of women and children on the off chance that they're a threat to our peace? I- I don't think so!" His tone grew bolder. "Not to mention that she has tried to control who you can worship and what you can say and-and- see, and what you can read, and what you can think, all the while letting her friends in the upper echelons of society feast while the poor starve. For a Princess who hosts the Triforce of Wisdom, she has not made wise decisions! It is clear that Zelda does not care about her people. Hyrule deserves better, and Hyrule can _be_ better."

Members of the crowd shouted out in support.

"I am working with my friends in the Peoples' Liberation Movement to make Hyrule better, and we would like all of you to help us!" Link cried out as he drew the Master Sword and held it high in the air. "Resist in any way you can! Demand that Zelda abdicate! Hyrule belongs to all of us!"

The crowd continued to go wild, and Ketura applauded with them. Cheers and shouts went on for a few moments, during which time Link stepped down from the statue and rejoined his daughter, resheathing his sword as he went.

"You did great," Ketura said to him.

"Ah, thanks," said Link with a grin on his face. He soon found himself shaking hands with everyone in the immediate area, engaging with them as they wanted to give him their praises. Ketura looked around, seeing one man hand a purple Rupee to Dangora, who promptly put it in a leather pouch on her waist. Other people gave money to other rebels.

Impa, who Ketura could recognize by her voice, stepped in front of the statue and began a series of chants, which the crowd soon caught onto and chanted with her. "DOWN WITH ZELDA! HYRULE FOR ALL OF US! HYLIA WEEPS! DOWN WITH ZELDA! HYRULE FOR ALL OF US! HYLIA WEEPS!"

* * *

Back at the bar, Telma gave out a round of celebratory drinks for everyone as Impa and the red-haired man with glasses counted the handed Link a large flagon of an amber-colored beer with a layer of foam floating on top, and she gave Ketura a smaller flagon filled with a golden liquid.

"Um, what's this?" Ketura inquired, a little nervous as she remembered the last time she had an alcoholic beverage.

"Yes, Telma, what is this?" Link echoed, seemingly displeased.

"It's a mild apple cider. Low alcohol content. Tastes like apple juice."

Ketura picked up the flagon, held it to her lips, then took a small sip of the cider. It did taste like apple juice, with a bitter edge to it. "Not bad," she said, thinking it was definitely tasted better than whatever swill Ganondorf had given her.

"That's the only drink she gets tonight," Link told Telma as he took a swig of his own beer. He then turned to talk to Colin, Luda, and Talo. Meanwhile, Midna emerged from his shadow and sat down on the bar opposite of Ketura.

"You know, he was so nervous about this, but I think it went great!" said Midna.

"Yeah, it did," Ketura replied proudly.

"Maybe this is how he should be saving Hyrule now: talking to people instead of running around and fighting," Midna continued.

"Well, then who would pick up the fight against Zant if he did that?"

With a sigh, Midna said "I don't know. The Fused Shadow, which I once used as a source for most of my powers, was destroyed sixteen years ago. I can do some, but not everything, which is a damn shame because I would like to destroy Zant myself – for good this time. But … your father can't do it alone. We learned that the hard way when his nose got broken in our last altercation."

"And he won't let me help," said Ketura. She took another drink of her cider.

"Well if you stay here, I'm sure Telma can find ways for you to help – even if you just mop floors and clean the toilets for her," said Midna with a mischievous smirk.

"That's not what I meant! If I were a better fighter, I would want to be where the action is!"

Midna nodded. "Of course you would." She looked around the bar, seeing that Link had sat down at a table with the other Ordonians and Luda, and that a group of Gerudo (including Telma's siblings) congregated together at the other end of the bar, all drinking some steamy beverage out of heavy goblets.

"I bet you could borrow their old books that are up in Telma's flat," said Midna, pointing discreetly to Levali and Nabira, "and practice magic using those. Hone that natural talent of yours!"

"Hmm. I think I'll do that," said Ketura before taking another drink. She held her flagon up to her face, to hide it from Midna, just in case she nonverbally communicated the fact that her magic skills were not in any way prodigious.

* * *

Another rally occurred the following evening, outside of Telma's bar. Ketura estimated that a couple hundred people crammed into the open space walled off by the bar, the old apartment building, and the back wall of a South Road store. She kept herself pressed against the wall near the entrance of the bar, looking out on the crowd and noticing how many of them shivered in the cold. Many of them only had threadbare jackets and sweaters, and holes in their gloves. She thought about giving her scarf to someone.

Link took his place, standing on top of a stack of crates and facing his audience. He gave the same speech he had given the previous evening, without stuttering or faltering, but he paused after his line about Hyrule deserving better – unlike the crowd in the West Road park that cheered and agreed quite vocally with him, this group only murmured among themselves.

He finished his speech, and Ketura noticed how shocked and disheartened he looked when the members of the audience either kept talking to each other or just stared at him blankly.

"So we overthrow the Princess. Then what?" One woman asked. She stood towards the front of the crowd and wore a fraying shawl over her head.

"Then … Then Hyrule is ours. We'll make it a better place." Link answered.

"How?" the woman inquired.

"I- I don't know what you mean, uh-"

Ketura's mouth gaped open slightly. It occurred to her that she never thought of that.

"Who's going to rule once Zelda's gone?" an elderly man cried out.

"We people will rule ourselves! Everyone will contribute to decision-making instead of leaving it to just one person or group of people chosen for us." Link responded.

"What happens when people disagree? Who will get their way?" the same man asked.

"Is everyone in Hyrule going to voice their opinions on problems?" Someone else in the crowd piped up.

"How are you gonna make Hyrule better, eh? Do you have a step-by-step plan?"

"You just have a huge chip on your shoulder because you've been in prison a long time! Doesn't matter to me who rules because at the end of the day I still won't be able to find work or pay rent!"

"I can't feed my children now, so what will you do to make sure I can?"

"Are you going to stop soldiers from extorting what little money we have left?"

"What are you all _actually_ doing for the _people_?"

Link seemed lost and flustered, not at all expecting the barrage of questions being thrown his way. Impa stepped forward and threw her hands in the air.

"All of your concerns will be addressed in due time, I promise. And we are providing you with an opportunity to help yourself! Join us!"

As some people kept asking questions and making comments, others began filing out of the space back into the South Road. Soon, everyone was on their way out, except for one man who Ketura recognized from the East Road the previous day. He looked at both her and Link with a knowing glint in his eye.

"Those people, they're not like the posh ones on the East Road or the comfortable ones on the West and North Roads. They're starving, and sick, and freezing. Good luck getting them to care about your philosophies and politics." When he finished speaking, he turned and walked off, leaving Ketura and Link to stand frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.

A moment later, Link put an arm around Ketura's shoulders and ushered her back into the bar, murmuring "Come on, let's go back in," as he did. The other rebels also made their way back inside, seating themselves at tables or standing alongside the bar as Telma prepared to serve drinks.

"How'd it go?" Telma asked, looking directly at Link. Before Link had a chance to respond, Impa tore off her mask and hood and thundered toward the bar.

"Don't they realize we're trying to help them?" Impa vented, slamming her open palm on top of the bar.

"Not well, huh," murmured Telma.

Link walked up to Impa's side, and Ketura followed him. She craned her head to the side to look at Impa, and waved her hand in an attempt to catch the Sheikah woman's attention.

"Hey, uh, Impa … maybe they have a point?" Ketura began.

"A point about what?" asked Impa irritably.

"Well, there's been all this talk about getting rid of Zelda and letting the people rule themselves, but nobody has mentioned how Hyrule will be governed. And- I mean- wha- what if we did help them out? They could help us out too."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"Uh- I … I don't know," Ketura admitted, hanging her head. She shrunk away and bit her lip, feeling foolish.

"Now's just not the right time, darling," said Link soothingly as he rested his hand on her shoulder.

Midna emerged from Link's shadow. "Link, it's almost time to go," she informed him.

"Wait, what? Ah …." Link sighed. He looked at Ketura. "It's the third day, which means Zant will soon use the Orb of the Triforce to locate me, which means I need to be as far away from you and everyone else as I can."

"Dad, wait, you're not –"

"I'm just going to go out, wait for him to find me, and then Midna and I will get out of there. Ketura, I promise you that I will not try to fight him alone. I don't want another part of me broken, anyway. I'll be back as soon as I can, all right?"

Ketura nodded. "All right." She hugged her father tight, and he reciprocated.

"Be careful and stay out of trouble. I'll see you soon," he said to her before pulling away, hopping over the bar, and heading through the kitchen door. Midna floated alongside him as he went.

Ketura stared at the kitchen door for a few moments, wishing that she could have gone too so she could help protect him any way she could, because there was the chance that he would not come back. Even if he said he wouldn't try to fight Zant alone – perhaps, she thought, once she was more skilled with magic she could help her father fight.

Over the next hour, everyone who had come to Castle Town exited the bar through either the front door or through the kitchen, leaving Telma and Ketura alone to clean up and wash dishes. Ketura caught a glimpse of the clock at one point to see that it was ten minutes to midnight.

"So there's a secret passage in and out of town in the kitchen?" she asked casually while sitting at the bar, drying a goblet with a dish rag.

"Indeed there is," answered Telma as she swept up the space behind the bar.

"Where does it lead?"

"It branches around, so you can go north, south, east, or west. Why do you want to know?" Telma asked, eyeing Ketura with suspicion.

"I'm just curious, that's all," answered Ketura.

Telma shrugged. "It's in the big pantry, across from the oven," she explained as she nodded toward the door that led into the kitchen. "I just ask that if you ever go anywhere, you come back by sunrise. And that you stay out of trouble. Don't worry, I won't tell your father." She winked and smiled knowingly.

* * *

The secret passageway took her underground, through dark tunnels that required her to use her lantern. She chose the eastern fork, and emerged just outside the walls of the city as the end of the tunnel brought her up to the ground level. Even though she had already experienced it, Ketura still did not care for the feeling of levitating as she stepped into a gentle white light, floated up to the surface, and landed on sparse crunchy grass underneath a tree.

Flurries of snow fell as Ketura stepped out into Lanayru Province. Feeling that her scarf had begun to slip out of position, she used one hand to hold it back in place over her nose and mouth and her other hand to hold her lantern. Clouds obscured the moon and stars, and the cold air bit at her exposed skin, and she cursed herself for not finding a better coat than the old leather jacket she wore.

At first, she saw no signs of life in the field. Then, to her right, she saw a flicker of light that disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Thinking that might be him, she walked toward where the light was, across the road and past several trees, and past an opening in the rocks into stony ruins. She saw him standing next to an owl statue, the hood of his cloak over his head and a sphere of light in his hand.

Ganondorf turned his head slowly, looked at her, and said "You're late."


	23. Twenty-Two

**TWENTY-TWO**

Ketura launched into her account of everything that happened in Castle Town, and Ganondorf cut her off when she mentioned that she and her father were sought after to be captured alive.

"You're not planning on going back, are you? Have you acquired enough food?" he asked.

"Well – yeah, I need to go back," said Ketura. She then explained how she ran into her father and the other rebels, and she was expected to return by sunrise. "Also, it's warm in that bar, and I can hide out there."

"I would feel more at ease if you were to stay with me," said Ganondorf.

"And meet more of your monster friends that crave human flesh? No thanks." She thought of her altercation with Grath and shivered, although her shiver was more likely a response to the cold air.

"The Lizalfos – they're the only ones. And I did not know that was going to happen," retorted Ganondorf.

"But it did happen. And you told me I'd be untouchable! Obviously not!" Ketura fired back. After giving him a second to respond, she added "I'm staying in Castle Town, and I don't care what you think about it. This is where you'll have to come if you want to keep training me, or see me at all."

Ganondorf sighed wearily and bowed his head. "Very well, if this is what you want," he said softly.

A silent moment passed by.

"The Moblins have agreed to join me, and I'm going to seek out Darknuts next. It's a day's journey to where I believe the main clan resides … you are still welcome to join me. But if you come, you would be required to prove your worth to them in a duel."

"What kind of duel? Like, a sword duel? I'm not very good with a sword," Ketura reminded him.

"I know, so when I return we can begin work on swordplay."

Ketura gave him a skeptical, amused look. "Um, no offense, but didn't you _lose_ the last sword fight you got into?"

Ganondorf let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, and lucky for you that I did. Had I won that fight, we would not be having this conversation."

"Uh … yeah. Okay, um … so … Darknuts. Cool." Ketura stammered, fishing for a suitable change of subject. "Do you ever, like, plan on seeing Impa and telling her about this army you're raising for her?"

"I will when the timing is right," said Ganondorf. "Anyway, shall we get to work?"

* * *

It took a little over two hours and several tries and lectures, but Ketura eventually got the hang of redirecting attacks. Rather than raise Nayru's Love around herself, she would catch a spell shot at her, swing it up and around, and shoot it back in an underhanded toss with more speed and power than it had when it first came her way. Additionally, redirecting drained less of her available energy than Nayru's Love did.

She paused to rearrange her scarf, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Ganondorf shoot another sphere of light at her. Thinking fast, she ducked and sidestepped to avoid it.

"You were supposed to shoot it back at me," he said tersely.

"You caught me off-guard," replied Ketura.

"Zant won't care if you stop in the middle of a fight to fidget with your clothing."

"He also won't care if I try to dodge him or redirect his attack back at him. I'm pretty sure he'd only care about hitting me."

Ganondorf opened his mouth to speak, but paused first. "I suppose you're right … that was a good evasion, by the way. You're improving."

"Thank you," said Ketura, feeling as if she had received the highest praise any person could ever hope to receive. She then let out a yawn.

"Earlier, you mentioned that many townspeople had questioned your father and Impa about who would rule Hyrule after their rebellion won, and how they would care for the poorest segments of society."

"Yeah …?" Ketura wasn't sure why he brought that up.

"It was something I have thought about. They really don't have a concrete plan, do they? It's all talk and ideology." Ganondorf sat down on one of the steps and threw on the hood of his cloak to keep snow from falling into his hair. Ketura sat down as well, keeping two feet of space between her and him.

"Impa did say something about everyone coming together to make decisions."

"Did she now?" Ganondorf laughed. "Never heard that one before, and thank goodness I hadn't. That is a positively idiotic idea!"

"How so?"

"People are fools. You know that. They don't always know what's good for them, or if they do they have no clue on how to get it. Civil war would break out over a minor disagreement."

Ketura couldn't think of anything to immediately contribute. An idea did form in her head, though.

"Ludicrous," Ganondorf continued, "to think that a simpleton's opinion could hold just as much weight as that of an intellectual in that system. It would destroy Hyrule."

"Well, what if-" Ketura piped up now that she had developed her idea some more, "what if people pick a person- or- or a group of people that, uh, represents them and will do right on their behalf? That could work."

"And when people disagree on who their ruler should be?" asked Ganondorf critically.

"I said a group of people too," said Ketura, a little defensive.

"All right then. Well, if we are assuming that people as a whole are fools – and let's face it, they are – then they are bound to pick the wrong person. They could choose a ruler or group of rulers with no skill, no wisdom, no clue as to how to govern a nation."

"There'd have to be some kind of test, then. Certain education requirements," said Ketura.

Ganondorf shook his head. "Good rulers aren't made, they're born. And it is up to them to step up and take control."

"Well, don't you think it's kind of silly that throughout all of Hyrule's history, there has only been one royal dynasty? Not all of them were good kings or queens or princesses, even though they were born into the Royal Family." Ketura said.

"I never said anything about bloodlines. And I agree about the Royal Family. The king I usurped is a vivid example of your argument. As was his daughter, Zelda the- the-"

"The Fourth," said Ketura, referring to the Princess Zelda who was the Hero of Time's ally.

"I was going to call her something else," said Ganondorf.

"Oh."

"But as I was saying, those who are meant to rule, who have what it takes and have honed their innate skills, will be the most successful, and they should not be denied their rightful place."

Ketura looked down at her feet and shook snowflakes out of her bangs, and silently contemplated for a moment.

"Let's say we find this person who's meant to rule. Who has what it takes, and … maybe they're a farmer, or blacksmith, or shopkeeper, and they're happy with their life. They don't _want_ to rule. It's not fair to make them trade in something they love for something they hate. You know?"

"Why would _anyone_ want a simple, meaningless existence when they have the means of being powerful, and leaving their mark on history?" Ganondorf countered.

"Well- um- they just don't want it, I guess. I don't know, I guess I just don't like the idea of having to do something just because you're 'meant to do it.' I don't know about other people, but I like the idea of having control over my own life and choices and … destiny, if you want to call it that." Ketura thought back to when she pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal and the temporary scare of wondering if being a Hero was now her duty.

"As do I," said Ganondorf, "and when one is given a role to play it can be difficult to find a balance. I know from experience … your hypothetical farmer could become king or queen, and then use their position as a launching point to pursue any goals they might have. Such power could be very beneficial to them."

"Or the worst thing that could happen to them," Ketura rebutted, realizing that for the most part he had been talking about himself. "Like, there was a king Alessander who ruled a hundred years ago who abolished the Cabinet of Ministers and claimed absolute power for himself, and he pretty much went crazy with raising taxes and making all these strict laws and almost destroying Hyrule that way, up until his son overthrew him and had him executed for crimes against the realm. Alessander just enjoyed having power for the sake of power."

"And if this King Alessander were alive today, do you think he would agree with your assessment of him?" Ganondorf asked.

"Um, I don't know," said Ketura.

"He probably had his reasons."

"Well, yeah. Everyone does, doesn't matter if they're good or bad reasons. But if you're a ruler and have that kind of power, I'd think you'd understand that you have to use it wisely … not just do what you want because you can, you know? Especially since there are all these people in Castle Town who have so little, and Zelda hasn't done anything to help them. If I were Princess, I'd help them."

Ganondorf nodded thoughtfully. "What kind of King do you think I would be, if I were to become King of Hyrule right now?" he asked her.

"Um …." She thought about what the history she had read had to say about his previous reign over Hyrule, about how the citizens of Castle Town fled the city and burned it behind themselves rather than have him rule over it, the attempted genocide against the Gorons after a failed assassination attempt, the evil darkness that supposedly shrouded the land at night, his relentless pursuit of Zelda IV, and his eventual defeat by the Hero of Time. As with King Alessander, he probably had his reasons for those actions, although she didn't know how to ever justify feeding the Gorons to a dragon.

"I- I honestly can't say - well, you'd probably find a way to bring justice for the Gerudo people, but beyond that, I don't know." She paused. "The Gerudo definitely deserve justice, though, and I'm not just saying that."

"I wish more Hylians thought like you did," said Ganondorf.

"Maybe they do. Not all of us are awful," Ketura said as she slowly stood up and looked out towards the field. "If we're done for the night, I should be getting back," she added. "Freezing out here in the snow doesn't sound good to me."

"Oh, are you going to leave me to freeze then?" Ganondorf jested.

"Something tells me you wouldn't be welcome where I am going," she shot back.

"You are right, and I should be going as well. Shall we meet here at midnight in three days' time?"

"Yeah, sure," said Ketura.

"Good. I ask that you practice on your own, any chance you may have … and to be careful."

* * *

She walked on towards the spot where she had emerged, moving quickly to get out of the cold faster. Snow fell faster and harder, sticking to the ground and getting her boots wet. The tree where the entrance to the secret tunnels was in plain view, just some yards in front of her, but Ketura stopped as Zant materialized right in front of her.

He looked different, however. His body had a bluish tint to it, and appeared transparent. Her first reaction was to hurl Din's Fire at him, but the flames flew right through him and dissipated some yards away. She tried again, throwing a red sphere of light, and that also went through his head. A white sphere went through his chest.

"I'm not really here, Ketura, so don't waste your energy," said Zant, almost taunting her.

Perplexed, Ketura lowered her hands slightly yet still eyed him with caution.

"Now that I have your attention … it was _so rude_ of you to abandon me in the woods like you did, with my only company being that irritating Skull Kid! I found my way out, though … and now that I see you are near Castle Town, I will find _you_."

Ketura took a deep breath, hoping it would help fend off her nerves. She wanted to look over her shoulder, to see where Ganondorf was, but she dare not take her eyes off of Zant.

"Or, maybe I should send some of my friends to come fetch you, hmm?"

The apparition of Zant vanished. Ketura saw something overhead: a kind of portal, black and swirling and jagged, materializing out of thin air hundreds of feet above her. One by one, three of Zant's shadow beasts dropped from the portal, landed gracefully on their feet, and surrounded her.


	24. Twenty-Three

**TWENTY-THREE**

One of the beasts jumped right at her, and she leaped to the side to avoid it. Ketura then looked to see another beast take a swipe at her with its giant hand, swatting her across the face and knocking her to the ground. The combination of cold air and stinging pain made her eyes water, but not enough to completely obscure her vision; as she saw the third beast move to stand over her, she rolled to the side so she wouldn't be trapped.

What to do, she thought. How to fight these things ….

Ketura got up on her feet, took a deep breath, and felt her fast-pounding heart slow down a tick as she sized up her three foes. Two of them faced her directly, while the third hung back slightly. She jumped back and raised Nayru's Love around herself briefly while a beast advanced on her, and then she unleashed a fanning spray of Din's Fire. The flames hit the two beasts directly in front of her, making them flinch back some. Next, she pelted spheres of energy at them – some hit, some missed – until finally the first two shadow beasts had fallen to the ground. She turned her sights to the third one … who raised its head to the sky and let out a loud, piercing, terrible roar.

The two that had fallen rose to their feet.

"Ah crap," she murmured. Figuring it was the job of that third beast to keep its comrades alive, she charged right at it and shot every spell and hex she could think of until that beast had fallen. By then, the other two beasts had noticed where she was and had started to advance on her. One of them jumped in front of the other and tried to swipe at her, only to miss when she leaped to the side. Ketura took that one down soon after with a short stream of Din's Fire. Her eyes found the last one standing … and it reared back and roared just like the other one had. The two she had taken out got back up and resumed their attack.

Ketura spent a few minutes dodging their attacks the best she could, trying to think of a strategy. It ended the same the last two rounds, with the last one standing bringing its comrades back … and they mostly attacked with their hands … if she had a sword she could have tried to cut their hands off, and then what would they do? Those thin noodley-looking tentacles coming out of their heads and necks probably wouldn't be too practical as weapons …. Could she get them to attack each other?

Before she could devise a way to get one of them to attack another, a beast swung at her, and she responded by ducking and swinging back, hurling a red sphere right into its chest with enough force to knock it down instantly. The remaining two converged on her, and she mustered up as much energy as she could to let out a wide, hot blast of Din's Fire that sent her foes toppling to the ground.

She stepped back, watching the beasts on the ground, waiting for them to get up. Her power had mostly drained – she could feel how weakly it pulsed in her veins – and she fervently wished they would stay down. Next thing she saw, the bodies of the beasts burst into puffs of smoke and rays of eerie red light, leaving no trace behind. She let out a sigh of relief, and then a triumphant smile formed on her face.

The apparition of Zant materialized in front of her again.

"Is that all you've got?" an emboldened Ketura asked.

"You surprise me, Ketura. I thought you couldn't fight ….? No matter. You may be able to face my brethren of the Twilight, but before it is all over you _will_ be mine. If coming for you doesn't work, then you will have to come to me!" Zant fired back.

"Now why would I do that?" asked Ketura brazenly.

"I will make you want to. Mark my words. You won't be able to hide from me forever …." Zant laughed menacingly before the bluish apparition of him faded away.

Now alone, Ketura observed her surroundings to see nothing but Hyrule Field in the dead, cold night. More flurries of snow fell from the sky. She took a step forward cautiously, halfway expecting to see more Shadow Beasts emerge from the trees, but nothing happened. Slow, careful steps carried her back through the tunnels. After emerging from the pantry in Telma's kitchen and stepping out into the main bar area, she noticed a cushy-looking sofa in the corner of the bar; she shuffled to it, fell onto it, and went to sleep near instantly.

* * *

In her dreams that night, Zant faded in and out. He never did anything besides standing still or appearing as a giant disembodied head, but he would speak: _"I will find you … you will be mine … I will make you suffer, and your father too … it will hurt!"_

Ketura awoke with a start, launching herself to a sitting position, and released the breath she had been holding when she saw the bar, still dark and still empty. With a sigh, she lay back down to try and go back to sleep, but she didn't want to take the risk of him haunting her dreams anymore.

She then heard footsteps, and jumped in response. The sounds came from the other end of the bar, and they drew nearer and nearer, until Telma came into view.

"There you are! When did you get in last night?" asked Telma. She wore a silky-looking dressing gown covered in colorful geometric patterns, and she held a few letters in her hand.

"I don't know," said Ketura groggily as she sat up. "What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"It's almost eight in the morning," said Telma. "I need to go deliver these letters, and then it'll be time for breakfast. Care to join me? It'll be upstairs in my flat."

"Yeah, sure," answered Ketura. Telma smiled warmly.

From there, Ketura made her way to Telma's flat, using a discreet door labeled "EMPLOYEES ONLY" at the back of the bar. The door took her up a flight of stairs and into a sparsely furnished living room. She contemplated throwing herself onto the worn-looking orange couch, but instead she stood in place and looked down to study the ornate, colorful rug she stood on. Her eyes then found a fireplace along the wall facing the couch, and above it hung a tapestry depicting the crescent moon and star symbol of the Gerudo.

When Telma came up, Ketura went with her into the kitchen, where Telma served a mix of fruit, grains, and yogurt for breakfast and the two sat at a cramped kitchen table to eat. The kitchen also looked crowded, with pots and pans hung all over the walls.

"So, do you want to tell me what you were up to last night?" Telma asked in between mouthfuls.

"Um, I, uh-" Ketura began, trying to think of a believable tall tale to tell.

"You don't _have_ to. I mean, I would feel better with letting you run around if I knew where you were, especially since there's a ten thousand Rupee bounty on your head, but I know that a girl's got to have her secrets."

"Um, thanks for understanding."

"Of course, hun."

It was silent for a few moments as Ketura focused on eating. Getting food into her belly lifted her mood and energy some, but some part of her still dreaded that the bar would explode any moment as Zant tried to get to her.

"You know my dad would flip if he knew, right?" Ketura said, thinking that surely as an old friend Telma would respect Link's wishes.

"Oh, he would definitely be upset. I agree. He probably wants you locked away in a cozy little room until everything's over so he knows you're safe, but you're going to do what you're going to do. I don't like it, but I learned the hard way with my younger brother and sisters." Telma said thoughtfully.

"Learned what?"

"That it's pointless to try and keep people safe by restricting them. Do you know how the four of us came to Castle Town?" Now that she had finished eating, Telma sat her spoon down in her bowl.

"No, I don't," answered Ketura.

Telma took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Our mother was part of a nomadic clan of Gerudo that lived just on the fringes of Hyrule proper. She had a brief fling with a Hylian soldier, and I was the result of that. When I was ten, a group of men from a far-off country travelled with our clan for a while, and my mother took one of them as a lover. Zahrain was born, then Nabira and Levali, and they successfully passed Zahrain off as a girl – if the others knew he was a boy they would have killed him. The clan didn't want to risk having another male Gerudo reach adulthood.

"The clan, let's see, the clan set up camp just a few miles east of the old Spirit Temple – you probably know it as the 'Arbiter's Grounds' – and we managed to live there peacefully for a time. Until we were captured and held hostage by a detail of Hylian soldiers, that is. I was fourteen at the time. They originally said that they just wanted to make sure we were peaceful, but I guess somewhere in there they decided to kill us. Mother's face said it all when words couldn't." Telma paused and hung her head for a moment.

"There had been a traveling merchant, with a horse and covered wagon, who was detained at our camp with us. The soldiers told him he could leave. While he was distracted, our mother hid us in the back of his wagon and told us to keep quiet. Before we knew it, the wagon had taken off, and we never saw our mother again.

"When we got to Castle Town, we crawled out of the wagon before the merchant even knew we were there. We lived on the streets for a while, eating out of trash cans and sleeping in boxes. People tried to hurt and extort us, and I did whatever it took to keep us alive and healthy and together. It's dangerous to be a Gerudo in Castle Town, especially if you're a homeless orphan. But I eventually saved up money, bought this flat, and we lived here. We reconnected with our heritage by stealing books, where my sisters taught themselves magic, and Zahrain learned the significance of being born male in the Gerudo Tribe. Most people started mistaking me for a full-blooded Hylian. Helped me open this bar." She paused to chuckle.

"Nabira and Levali, they wanted to help me with the bar. Zahrain wanted to go out and find other Gerudo and unite them. But I didn't let them. It was too risky, I told them, thinking about how rough it was when we first arrived in town. They were around your age at the time – I remember having an argument with Zahrain about it, and then later that day your mother came into my bar looking for someone to help her help a sick Zora boy."

Ketura smiled.

"I should have just let him go at the time, because he did eventually pack up and leave, and he resented me for the longest time because I wanted to keep him cooped up. It wasn't fair, he said, that I got to live my life and nobody else did. He wanted to do things, to become somebody. The twins left too, to go look for him. I didn't see them for years, until all three of them came back together. I apologized to Zahrain, and praise the Sand Goddess he forgave me." She smiled sadly. "And all three of them brought back this passion and zeal for bringing the Gerudo people together again, getting justice, and reclaiming our ancestral homelands in the desert. Zahrain had met different clans and got them all to unite behind him, and he brought a few representatives to Castle Town with him. Funny enough, at the same time Impa joined my secret little group of intellectuals and change-makers, and through her ideas and contributions the Liberation Movement was born."

Telma stood up, stepped into the kitchen, and started boiling a kettle full of water. "Zahrain threw himself into the cause fully, seeing it as his chance to fulfill his destiny as the uniter of our people. He worried me for a while at the beginning, some of the rhetoric he was spouting –" she paused to get two ceramic mugs out of a cabinet.

"What kind of rhetoric?" asked Ketura, raising her voice slightly so she could be heard in the kitchen.

"So much grandiose talk about 'bringing glory,' 'waging bloody war if necessary,' 'annihilation of Hyrule's royal family as punishment for their atrocities' – I warned him that he was almost on the path to repeating history. I didn't want him to become another reason that the Gerudo would continue to suffer at the hands of Hylians, if not completely wiped out."

"Oh," said Ketura, nodding thoughtfully. "Right. Because of –"

"Stop right there. Don't utter _his name_ in my home." Telma snapped. She came back into the kitchen, holding two mugs of steaming hot tea. She placed a mug down in front of Ketura. "And I pray hell devised new torments especially for him, and he is suffering them right now."

"Well, yeah … hopefully so. If there's any fairness in the world, then … yeah." Ketura said, realizing that Telma didn't know that Ganondorf was alive. She sipped her tea, its warm and robust taste invigorating her senses.

When she finished her tea, Ketura went back into the living room, letting out a loud yawn as she went. While Telma went downstairs to prepare for opening the bar, she sat down on the couch in the living room. Sitting became laying down, and before she knew it she was asleep again.

The sound of something shifting woke her abruptly. In front of her, she saw Link, who had crouched down to be at eye level with her.

"Hey … did I wake you?" he asked softly.

"No, no, Dad, it's okay," said Ketura. "How long was I asleep?"

"Well, it's almost noon. I was gone for roughly twelve hours, I'd say. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," said Ketura automatically. She sat up, and Link sat down on the couch next to her. "Did you see Zant?"

"I did, but he didn't get me this time," said Link proudly.

"Good!" Ketura smiled, internally debating with herself whether or not to share her own encounter. "Hey Dad … I like staying here with Telma and all, but what if Castle Town stops feeling safe?"

"Castle Town isn't safe already," answered Link. "On my way in I caught a glimpse of our 'wanted' posters – the bounty's been doubled now. And I'm going to talk to Impa about increasing security around our secret tunnel in and out of the city. But if you stay here, with Telma, you'll be fine, all right?"

Ketura nodded compliantly. "All right." She wondered what kind of security measures would be placed around the tunnel, and if they would hinder her ability to meet with Ganondorf.

"I also, um, brought you something. On my way back in, it hit me that your birthday's coming up … right? When was your birthday again?"

"The twenty-eighth of this month," she answered.

"And it's the sixteenth today … I'm sorry, I should know your birthday." Link said shamefully.

"Well, you can make it up to me by giving me my present early," said Ketura.

"Then this isn't going to be your birthday present! It's a present I'm giving to you just because I want to dote on my daughter," Link said as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a small bar wrapped in blue paper. When he placed it in her hand, she read the label: _Castle Town's Finest Chocolate_.

"Chocolate? Thanks, Dad," she said, grinning as she unwrapped the paper to see a thick, smooth-looking bar of chocolate. "You want some?" she offered.

"No thanks. Chocolate doesn't agree with my stomach," said Link.

"Where did you find this?" she asked before taking a bite and being taken away by the sweet and creamy chocolate flavor.

"A flea market in a less-than-ideal part of town. Can't exactly walk into Malo Mart. It cost me more than I want to admit, but I think it was worth it."

She smiled.

"I also haven't spent enough time considering how hard all of this must be on you. I bet it's tough sitting still, worrying, waiting for things to happen. You have been so brave and strong throughout everything that's happened. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad. I'm proud of you too." She set her chocolate bar down, wrapped her arms around her father, and rested her head on his shoulder. He reciprocated and held on tight, as if his embrace could make the dangers of the world disappear.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi everyone! I am taking a brief-ish hiatus from updating, maybe 3-4 weeks. Not only do I have some things happening in my personal life, I need to really iron out some of the details about what direction I want to take this story. I already know how I want to end the story, it's just a matter of getting there while accomplishing everything I want to do in terms of plot and character development without too much filler and fluff. I'll be back again when I have all my ducks in a row. Until then, I hope nice things happen for you!


	25. Twenty-Four

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Hope life's been treating you well.

I now declare my hiatus over. It lasted a little longer than originally anticipated because I moved to a place with terrible internet connectivity, which made it near impossible to deliver updates but on the plus side gave me time to get all my ducks in a row as far as planning out this story goes. I've moved again, and my new place has awesome internet. So without further ado ... back to business.

* * *

 **TWENTY-FOUR**

There were two bedrooms in Telma's flat: the one where she slept, and one that was empty save for a bed frame and a shelf along the wall packed with all sorts of books. The lack of a mattress, blankets, or pillows in the bedroom suggested that it had not been used in years. When Ketura saw that was the case, she shrugged and figured that sleeping on the couch in the living room would be fine. On the bookshelf, she found many books about Gerudo history and culture, Gerudo mythology, some Hylian novels, and tomes about both the Hylian and Gerudo magic traditions. She assembled herself a stack, carried it into the living room, and set it on the floor next to the couch. Link sat on the couch, reading a letter that Telma gave him.

"Kakariko Village, eh?" he murmured.

"What about it?" inquired Ketura as she sat down next to her father.

"They want me to appear at a rally for the rebellion," answered Link.

"Well, that's great! You should go," said Ketura encouragingly.

"I mean, yeah, I'll go." Link peered over to Ketura and her stack of books, paying extra attention to the one on top. "Wow. What all do you have there … books on magic?"

"Yeah. Um, you know, I was thinking about reading ahead a little, getting some background knowledge, so that when we do find a Hylian sorcerer to teach me I'll be more prepared."

Link smiled proudly. "It's amazing, I never thought my child would have such a natural talent for magic …. I'm going to go get something to eat. You want anything?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

She smiled at him, but when he stood up and went into the kitchen, her smile faded, and she felt a heavy weight in her stomach. Her father didn't know the truth – he _couldn't_. He was going through so much stress and effort to keep her safe, and he even brought her chocolate … and she repaid him with lies. If he did manage to find a Hylian sorcerer like he wanted, would she have to play dumb and perform below her skill level, or see if she could pass herself off as a prodigy, or would she finally need to come clean?

But so what if she was lying and disobeying him, she asked herself. She had good reasons. Someone needed to keep an eye on Ganondorf and try to figure out what he was up to, and if he was going to offer to teach her magic then why refuse? Especially since Zant was after her and her dad, and she wanted to be able to protect herself and him just in case. She asked herself: would he ever find out what all she had been up to? Or could she keep it a secret until everything was over?

Suddenly, the door to the flat swung open, and a panic-stricken Telma rushed inside. "Where's your father?" she asked Ketura.

Before Ketura could respond, she heard the clinks and clangs of a plate and silverware being swiftly slammed onto the kitchen counter. Link bounded back into the living room, noticed Telma, and asked "What's going on?"

"The old apartment building next door – it's caught on fire – we need to evacuate. Come on!"

Ketura leaped to her feet and quickly followed Telma downstairs, Link bringing up the rear. At this point, the bar was already empty, the patrons standing outside and looking on at old apartment building. Bright hot flames erupted from the building's windows, engulfing everything they touched, roaring lowly and releasing smoke into the night sky. She stayed close to Link and Telma, a respectable distance away from the fire but able to feel the intense heat it gave off.

Link as he charged right at the building, but then he turned a corner and disappeared.

"DAD!" Ketura called out. She watched the burning building anxiously, hoping he'd come out in one piece, wondering if there were spells that let her shoot water from her hands like she could with fire. Behind her, she heard someone announce that another building a few blocks away had also spontaneously caught on fire. She glanced up at the night sky to see another pillar of black smoke rising up into the night sky … and another one … and another one … and another one. Soon, there were too many for her to count from where she stood.

"The whole city's going to burn down!" someone shouted frantically.

Looking back at the apartment building, Ketura notice something in the sky directly above it: a black portal, like the one that Zant's shadow beasts had used. A massive torrent of water fell from the portal, crashing into the burning building, quenching the flames until only a few glowing embers remained. A moment later, Link and Midna reemerged from around the corner of the bar and joined Ketura's side.

"Dad … where did you go?" she asked.

"The waterfall in Zora's Domain," he explained hurriedly. "Midna transported me and the water, and-"

"Great," said Telma, "but it looks like the whole city's going up in flames. Mind doing that again?"

Link's eyes widened in surprise, but without another word he ran back towards the remains of the apartment building, making his way through the crowd of stunned bar patrons and passerby who were still trying to make sense of seeing water fall out of the sky like it just had. Ketura's eyes followed Link until he disappeared, then she turned back to Telma. In the distance, she heard the commotion of people shouting, screaming, stampeding, and the roars of more fires.

"How does this happen? Random fires, all over the city?" Telma asked, horror in her eyes.

"I don't know," answered Ketura. She broke from Telma's side and half-ran through the crowd of people outside the bar and through the small alley until she found South Road. She ran out into the street and then instantly jumped back so that a group of five wouldn't trample her as they ran down the street towards the city gates. All around her were more people, scared and confused, running around or still as a statue. The screams and shouts of panic filled the cold night air, and Ketura almost felt like screaming herself. From where she stood, she saw over a hundred pillars of smoke in the sky, growing taller and thicker as more and more buildings were consumed in fire. Another portal opened up in the sky above East Road, and another small deluge fell from it. Ketura watched the water fall, hoping that it had indeed put some fires out.

A woman ran past her, desperately calling out names. A man carried two small children in his arms, and they were all covered in ash and dirt and some minor burns. A couple stood in front of their house, holding onto each other as they watched their home burn. In the distance, someone shrieked in intense agony, until they suddenly fell silent. The sky was glowing with a sinister orange, and the silhouettes of Hyrule Castle and the Tower stood in dark contrast to the fires raging around them. It may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that she saw the puffs and tendrils in one pillar of smoke take the shape of Zant's helmet.

* * *

"I can't believe they're blaming _us_ for what happened last night!"

Impa came from Lake Hylia upon receiving news of the fires. She arrived at the bar late at night, after closing time, to talk with Telma and Link. She brought with her some posters and news releases, which read _LIBERATORS ARE TERRORISTS_ and _78 Dead, 153 Injured in Castle Town Conflagration; Quenched by Unexplainable Rainfall; Captain of the Guard Suspects the 'Hyrule Peoples' Liberation Movement' is Behind the Attack._

While the three adults sat at a table in the back, Ketura sat at the bar. She listened in on their conversation while scribbling out a list of pros and cons for everything she thought she could do: stay put and do nothing, go back to traveling with Ganondorf full-time, or turn herself over to Zant. The longer she stared at her list, where each option had exactly one pro and one con, the harder she found it to determine a tie breaker, and the more she thought about how Ganondorf deserved his own pros-and-cons list.

"It's ridiculous. We had people out ALL DAY cleaning up and offering aid!" Impa continued, her voice raised.

"Did you notice any connections between the places that were set on fire?" asked Link.

"No, not that I noticed up front. Abandoned buildings, cottages, stores, schools, mansions, a temple, even the Malo Mart on West Road! Places across all areas of the city, affecting every social class … I can't think of an explanation."

"This doesn't seem like something Zelda would do," commented Link.

"I know," agreed Impa, "she prefers sneaky ways of making her subjects suffer … or … Link – perhaps it could have been, erm, our rogue asset?"

"Yes, yes it could! That makes the most sense," said Link. Ketura peeked over to the table out of the corner of her eye.

"How would he have gotten into the city, though," pondered Link. "Unless – do you think he knows about our tunnels?"

"Possibly," said Impa, "and when I leave I'm going to get to work on securing them. There will be a password, and rotating traps so nobody can learn how to avoid them –"

"Hold on – a rogue asset? Who are you talking about?" Telma interjected, looking confused.

Impa and Link exchanged uncertain glances. "Forgive me, Telma, I had wanted to keep it a secret. Especially since the arrangement we had with this asset did not work out, but … erm … Link, you tell her."

"No, _you_ tell her. Bringing him on board was _your_ idea, after all." Link scoffed.

"Tell me what?" Telma sounded testy.

Impa sighed, and then whispered something. Ketura couldn't make out what Impa had said, but Telma's reaction said it all.

"You're joking, right?" asked Telma. Impa shook her head, and Telma's expression turned from confusion and denial into red-faced anger.

"You can't be serious! Impa – what were you thinking?! The Gerudo have been so oppressed over the centuries, and he is the reason why, and- and- What in the name of ALL THE GODS made you think that was a good idea?!"

"The goal was to keep a watchful eye on him," said Impa, visibly shaken by Telma's outburst.

"And _you!_ " Telma pointed forcefully at Link. "You, with the Master Sword! Have you been sleeping this whole time? How did he come back, and why didn't you return him to his grave?"

"Believe me, I would love to," answered Link timidly.

"THEN WHY HAVEN'T YOU?!"

No response. Both Link and Impa bowed their heads in shame.

"I am not surprised he went rogue after a while! Seriously, Link. Think about Ketura. What if he had gotten to her?"

Ketura noticed Link, Telma, and Impa all look over to her; she saw regret on her father's face. When the three of them turned back to each other, she folded up her list of pros and cons and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Telma … I created this problem. I accept responsibility, and I give you my word that I will fix it." Impa said calmly. Telma, eyes still burning with anger, pursed her lips and exhaled loudly through her nose.

"Me too," said Link.

"You better," murmured Telma.

An uneasy silence settled on the bar. Link kept his head down, and Ketura imagined that Telma was probably the only person in the world who truly scared him. Telma folded her arms across her chest, which dramatically rose up and down until it gradually calmed to a rhythm of regular breathing.

"At the very least, I think we should start by helping those affected by what happened last night," said Impa, who sounded desperate for a subject change.

"I'll collect contributions from customers," said Telma.

"I'll keep my eyes and nose peeled for suspicious activity," added Link.

"Has Lady Arianne committed yet?" Impa asked Telma.

"Who's Lady Arianne?" inquired Link.

Telma smirked. "A supporter of our cause, who is very wealthy. I imagine she'll donate to us and our relief efforts – also, she is Princess Zelda's younger sister."

At this point, Ketura figured it would be safe to approach the table, as she grew tired of sitting alone at the bar. She walked over, stood by her father's side, and said "I didn't know Zelda had a sister."

"Arianne doesn't advertise it," said Impa.

"I wouldn't," Telma added, "because what benefit is there to being the second-born Princess? Your name isn't Zelda and your chances of claiming the throne are slim. Instead, she lives on a posh manor outside of town and does whatever the hell she wants with her time, money, and freedom."

"Then why would she want to support us?" Link asked.

"She hasn't fully committed yet, but she has requested a meeting," Telma said to Impa.

"Let's arrange it then. Work out a time and place with her."

* * *

The third day in what Ketura started thinking of as the "Orb cycle" came the next day, and after sunset that evening she watched as Link disappeared into the bar's kitchen to take the tunnels out of Castle Town. She had accepted that he would be doing this for however long it took, but the little voice in her head reminded her that there was always a chance he might not come back next time. She went back up to the flat and watched the front door door, wondering where he went and what he was up to, and hoping there was a chance he would return sooner rather than later.

Eventually she sat on the couch and opened up one of the novels she picked out, read a couple of pages, but then stopped, staring blankly at the page, too preoccupied to absorb the prose. Nothing too terrible had happened in Castle Town (that she knew of) since the night of the fires, and she was starting to wonder if that was indeed Zant who did that, or some other force at work. Surely, if he wanted to get to her that way, he would do something different every day until she surrendered … and although she couldn't say it at the meeting with Impa, she knew for a fact it couldn't be Ganondorf-

Her eyes instantly shot up to the clock on the wall, and she saw it was fast approaching midnight. He had told her three days last time, right? She couldn't remember. Maybe it had been the previous night she was supposed to go, or maybe it was supposed to be the next night. Regardless, she closed the book, set it down, and grabbed her scarf and gloves off the floor before getting her jacket and lantern and heading downstairs.

She found Telma standing behind the bar, wiping a flagon dry while a big jar full of Rupees sat nearby. The jar was labeled "Help the fire victims!"

"Going somewhere?" Telma asked.

"Yeah. I'm going out," answered Ketura.

"Impa's set up security in the tunnels. The password today is 'Reekfish.'" Telma told her. "Stay out of trouble and be back by sunrise."

"Will do. See you later." Ketura made her way into the kitchen, to the pantry and down the ladder in the very back corner of the pantry, down to the dark cold tunnel. She used a small spark of Din's Fire to light her lantern, and before her she saw a giant stone slab that blocked the entrance to the rest of the tunnel, with the exception of some small gaps that were fortified with spikes and barbed wire. Writing was engraved along the top of the slab: SPEAK THE PHRASE.

"Reekfish," Ketura said loudly and clearly, careful to enunciate each syllable. The slab sunk into the ground, the spikes and barbed wire retracted into the walls of the tunnel, and up ahead she saw other spiked instruments, blades, nets, and ropes that had been placed in the tunnel sink into either the ceiling or the walls of the tunnel. She looked out for a moment, wondering if it would indeed be safe to proceed … and then she started walking.

* * *

Ketura approached the area where she last met Ganondorf, and saw the glow of a campfire just over the ridge. As expected, she found him sitting at the campfire. Laying on the ground near him were two drawstring bags of different sizes and two swords, one of which was significantly longer and heavier-looking than the other.

Hearing her approach, Ganondorf looked up. "Good evening," he said.

"HI," returned Ketura. "So … Darknuts?"

"Two hundred, maybe more," said Ganondorf. "And on my way back, I stumbled upon a cave and found a few thousand Rupees. I spent most of that money at a market in a nearby village." He reached for the smaller of the bags and tossed it to Ketura. "That one is yours."

"What is it?" she asked, eyeing the bag warily.

"An assortment of supplies – and gifts," Ganondorf spoke as Ketura began to open the bag, and at the mention of gifts she shot him a skeptical look.

The first thing she pulled out of the bag was a small notebook, filled with detailed recipes on how to brew Red, Green, and other potions. Next, she grabbed another pair of boots made of sleek black leather. Then a thick wool tunic, then a pair of gauntlets, then some pairs of socks, then three books that were all part of a series, and then she stopped temporarily at a foot-long bar of chocolate, wrapped up in white paper.

"You really didn't have to do all this," she told him before reading the label on the chocolate's wrapper: high cocoa content, infused with spices.

"There's more," said Ganondorf, pointing to the bag.

Ketura set the chocolate bar down and dug back into the bag. The next thing she pulled out was a rolled-up bundle of papers secured by some twine. She undid the twine, looked at the front page of the papers, and saw the title NORTH ELDIN JOURNAL in big bold letters across the top. Underneath were articles and stories about various happenings in northern Eldin Province.

"Why did you bring me a newspaper?" she asked, wondering if any of the stories would be of any relevance.

"A _what?"_ asked Ganondorf.

"A newspaper," Ketura repeated herself. Seeing that he raised his eyebrows slightly and didn't respond, she realized that he might not have known what it was. "Or did they not have these back in your day?"

"They did not. It looked like something to read and I thought it would interest you," said Ganondorf.

"It might. I'll read through it later and learn about current events in Eldin Province," Ketura said as she set the paper in the pile with everything else she had discovered so far, and then went back to looking through the bag.

She found a small glass bottle of medicinal ointment, a paper pouch of dried berries, small jars of herbs and spices, a wide-tooth comb, a hairbrush, another chocolate bar, a set of pencils, a small pocket knife, and perfume in a crystalline spray bottle.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Ketura asked as she spritzed a small amount of the perfume on the inside of her wrist. At first it smelled like alcohol, but a moment later the scent was a weird powdery lavender. She didn't have a clue how this perfume was supposed to help her do anything … or did she smell really bad after going five days without a bath?

"Whatever you want," said Ganondorf simply. "I thought it smelled nice."

She tossed everything back into the bag. "I mean, I appreciate the new boots and socks and hairbrush. The chocolate's nice too."

"Surely you have figured out by now that your written histories all present a very one-sided image of me. I am quite generous to my friends and allies." Ganondorf leaned over, grabbed the smaller of the two swords on the ground next to him, and slid it over to Ketura.

"Time to get to work. Take the sword."

* * *

"The lessons that your father tried to impart evidently did not make an impression on you," Ganondorf said a few hours later after a tiring, frustrating training session. It was true: beyond the basic horizontal and vertical slices, Ketura could tell that swordplay was not her strong suit. Or, at the very least, it seemed that way if the way Ganondorf got on her case was any indication. Her stance would not be right, or her footwork all wrong, or she didn't hold the sword correctly (he insisted on her holding it with only one hand instead of two) or she didn't swing hard enough. She started to question why she even needed to know how to use a sword at all if she could use magic, but then she remembered that running out of energy in the middle of a battle was possible.

"Well, maybe it's destined that you are the one who will successfully teach me how to do a Spin Attack," quipped Ketura, recalling how Link had tried in vain to teach her the maneuver.

"No. The Spin Attack is ridiculous and ineffective. I will not teach it to you."

With a shrug, Ketura replied "Okay. I was just joking."

Ganondorf held out his hand towards her, and she gave her sword to him. He then sheathed it along with the sword he had used.

"It's clear that we need to put in more time and effort here," he said. "Once you have mastered the basic movements, we can move on to combining them into more complex ones, and then I can show you how to incorporate them into an actual one-on-one duel. We cannot neglect your sorcery training either, of course."

"Could I also practice on my own?" Ketura suggested, impatiently hoping that he would tell her she could go. Almost every part of her ached, and she really wanted to get out of the cold and get some sleep.

"I was actually about to recommend that," said Ganondorf, sounding pleased.

Ketura nodded. She looked past him and saw a sliver of sunlight on the horizon, warm and golden-orange against the night's dark canopy.

"Ah crap," she said. "I've got to go. I promised I'd be back by sunrise –"

"Are you sure? You don't want to stay and watch it?"

His question took her by surprise. "Uh- I mean I'd like to but I can't."

"Ketura. You are breaking rules and laws and disobeying wishes simply by being here with me right now. What is one more in the grand scheme of things?"

She glanced back towards Castle Town. "Just for a little while, I guess," she said. He was right, after all, about her rulebreaking.

Wearing a self-satisfied smirk, Ganondorf sat on the stairs, facing the overlook of the Great Bridge of Hylia. Ketura sat down next to him, pulled her scarf tighter around her lower face and neck, and curled up into a small ball to hopefully chase away some more chills. Being sore and cold was not a combination she liked.

"Why do you want me to see this sunrise?" she asked him.

"No particular reason," he remarked, "I just enjoy watching them at any opportunity I can find, and I thought you would enjoy it as well."

The orange and gold on the horizon slowly grew larger and brighter, gradually brightening the night's darkness into lighter shades of blue, swallowing the stars, and casting oranges and pinks onto the sparse clouds hanging in the sky.

"There was a painting I once saw, long ago, of a sunrise. It was painted by a Hylian artist whose name I cannot remember … but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." Ganondorf's tone was nostalgic, pensive, a little remorseful. "The artist was a remarkable man, a member of the royal court, full of vision and ideas. He was on the verge of revolutionizing art for that period.

"I was younger, first making my way into the world outside of the Gerudo territory, learning about Hyrule and its people in preparation to be their King. This artist's work had such a profound impact – I wanted to see the world as he did, feel the way he did as he looked out on a sunrise and saw nothing but boundless beauty and potential … sadly, after I became King he committed treason, and I had to execute him."

Ketura raised her eyebrows, not having expected the turn his story took.

"It was a shame. He threw away such a promising future," added Ganondorf. He turned his eyes from the horizon and fixed their gaze onto Ketura. "You have great potential as well, I know it. Maybe not as an artist or a great warrior, but …."

"I, uh, as a kid I wanted to grow up to write books. And live in a library," said Ketura contemplatively.

"That is all?" asked Ganondorf.

"Yeah- well, I'd settle for being someplace safe, happy, and loved, with enough food to eat and warm blankets in winter."

"If I were you, I would aspire to more. Gain power, accumulate riches, take things for yourself."

"What would I do with power and riches?" she asked.

"Anything you wanted to do." Ganondorf paused briefly. "At our last meeting, you expressed distress over the plight of Castle Town's most impoverished citizens, and how nobody was helping them."

Ketura looked back to the horizon, still bathed in bright warm light that expanded across the entire sky. The sun's round top was now visible, slowly growing bigger and bigger. She imagined herself as a Princess, using her authority and resources to help people in need and fix all of the damage caused by Zant. Maybe if she did have lots of money and authority, she could rebuild every building that had been burned down and help everyone that had been hurt.

"Power. Wealth. A safe, happy home. The real ability to help others. I will help you achieve all of that."

She saw it in his expression, and heard it in his voice. Sincerity, genuine sincerity, as if he wanted her to have those things more than she did. It was welcome, but also puzzling. She almost believed that he could make all her wildest dreams come true, yet at the same time she thought that she knew better.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"So, that's the deal, then … you'll help me if I help you?"

"I would not think of it as a 'deal,' as much as a promise. If I succeed in getting what I want, then so shall you."

Ketura nodded. "Remind me again what it is you want?"

No response. Ganondorf looked back out at the horizon. Ketura rose to her feet and dusted snow off her backside.

"You're going to have to tell me sooner or later," she said pointedly as she picked up her bag of gifts.

"I know, and I will once things fall into place," he responded.

"How close are things to falling into place for you?" asked Ketura.

"Not close enough."

After a beat of silence, Ketura said "I mean, it would be a lot easier for me to help you out if you'd tell me what all you're up to, but … I guess I'll see you at midnight again."

He let her go without another word from his mouth. Walking back to the bar, across the snowy field and into the dark cold tunnels leading into Castle Town, Ketura's mind raced as it replayed the events and conversations with Ganondorf. She wished he would just be honest with her, and not keep her in the dark about his intentions. It annoyed her, gave her no extra reason to trust him, and it just didn't sit well with her overall. She had not forgotten who he was or what he could do. Whatever he wanted and had planned couldn't be good, she reasoned, otherwise he would have nothing to hide.


	26. Twenty-Five

**TWENTY-FIVE**

Her eyes opened and she saw a dark space, out of focus and blurry. Once she oriented herself, she recognized the space as her bedchamber: the silk sheets and thick blanket that covered her body, the long seat along the windows, her large ornate wardrobe that stood as a dark silhouette, and the nearby shelf that housed books and other precious keepsakes.

She got up slowly and took careful steps to the edge of the bed, where she picked up her dressing gown and threw it on over her nightdress. Perhaps she was dreaming, she thought, as what she saw seemed so familiar yet so foreign, as if it had been years since she had been here. Across the room from her bed, she noticed a set of glass doors that led out to a balcony. She stood in place for a few minutes, gazing out at the moon and stars through those doors, marveling at how … normal they were, on a quiet night where something still felt very out of place.

Forward she walked, to the balcony doors. Before awaking, she had dreamed of Castle Town burning, and she stood on that very balcony and watched it happen. As she opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony, she prayed that the city would still be there.

Castle Town was still there, much to her relief. It looked distant and small from where she was at Hyrule Castle, and almost like a picture in a storybook with its snow-capped roofs and small lights from the streetlamps. The cold air made her shiver, though, and she turned to go back inside.

For some reason, looking out at the snow made her think of Link – perhaps it was because he had most recently told her about his time at Snowpeak … then she remembered. He and the one girl from his village were going to have a baby soon, and she needed to arrange a gift for them-

"Sleepwalking, eh?"

There it was. That chilling voice, which had haunted her for as long as she could remember, who showed her so many horrific visions: dead Zoras, enslaved Gorons, some strange man who claimed to love her and couldn't wait to marry her … and Link of all people in prison, being tortured by her orders. He was right behind her, speaking right into her ear, but she dared not turn to look at him.

"Y-you," she whispered. "What do you want?"

"It seems that my hold on you has weakened, Princess. How did you manage that?"

She swallowed, forcing the gigantic lump in her throat down into her stomach. "Perhaps you are not as powerful as you believe yourself to be," she answered.

A period of silence followed. She listened to his breathing, ragged and muffled, expecting him to put her back under his trance. Instead, he circled around to stand in front of her, with only inches of space between her face and the giant helmet on his head. Finally, she asked the question burning on her mind.

"How long?"

"Sixteen years … give or take," he answered.

"And- everything I saw- the Gorons, Link-"

"It's all real. It all happened! _You made it happen_."

She gasped. Shook her head. Found herself short of breath. What he said couldn't be true, but it had to be.

"I had a dream, that the city was burning-"

"That happened too. I set fire to random buildings, and now _you_ are delaying investigations into who caused it and why they did it, because you are callous and don't care about your people and would rather plan your wedding."

"No … this has to stop. Do what you want with me, but leave my subjects out of this," she pleaded.

He laughed softly. "Does it bring you grief, to know that they suffer? Wait, don't answer- I know it does. And because it does, I will inflict even more horrors upon them!"

"Zant, please –"

" _This_ is what you deserve, Zelda! You took my life and legacy away from me, and I am doing the same to you, from now until I see it fit that you die. There are already those plotting to overthrow you, and your popular support will be sure to dwindle as Hyrule suffers calamity after calamity while you do nothing about it, and you will go down in history as the most hated Princess of Hyrule. No- you will be the _last_ Princess of Hyrule. There will be no bargaining, no mercy, no redemption. It is over for you."

Zelda took a deep breath. "No it isn't. Link Lykos. As long as he is alive, as long as Hyrule has Heroes-"

"His maimed, mangled corpse will rot as I remake Hyrule as I please. As will yours."

"Then how could you possibly remake Hyrule, when you lose the Triforce by killing us?"

Zant laughed softly. "Who said anything about killing you just yet? You have something I need, after all." He held his right hand up, prominently displaying the back of it. His hand glowed, emitting a warm golden light emanating from the Triforce crest on the back of his hand. Zelda's own right hand glowed in a similar fashion, illuminating the crest that she bore. He had the Triforce of Power, she realized, and the Triforce of Wisdom resonated in its presence.

"Link is a different story, though. For all the indignities I suffered at his hands, he deserves to die horribly, as soon as I can get my hands on him. As for the Triforce of Courage – it's lucky that Link has a child, isn't it? A child, who is just as brave and foolish and pesky as he is. I need her alive, but not necessarily mobile or conscious, and she definitely doesn't need to be whole in order to serve my purposes."

"I hope that she never receives it, for her sake as well as Hyrule's," Zelda responded, her voice shaking as she spoke.

"If not, then she will die horribly as well," hissed Zant.

"You won't win," said Zelda defiantly.

Zant laughed again. "Yes I will." He stretched his right hand out, and cool blue lights pulsed from his fingertips. "Now go back to sleep, Princess."

Zelda's head grew lighter. She swayed on the spot. The moon and stars went out of focus, and the room was covered in a cool blue haze. Everything went dark. She saw nothing, besides the coming blackness of sleep. _Goddesses help me_ , she silently prayed, _Help all of us._


	27. Twenty-Six

**TWENTY-SIX**

Up in Telma's flat, Ketura sat in the kitchen with Telma and Lady Arianne, a dark-haired woman with a thin face and prominent pointed ears, dressed in a teal gown with gold embroidery that draped loosely over her large, round stomach. Impa stood at the door, her daggers bared and ready to strike if needed.

"This is an interesting turn of events, to say the least," said Arianne before picking up her glass of wine and taking a sip.

"Yes, but there will be hell to pay if any of those Bulbins get in my bar," said Telma. She set a heavy rolling pin and a meat cleaver down on the kitchen table.

"Bulbins in Castle Town, though. Who would have thought?" Arianne continued. "And to watch the famous Hero himself spring into action like that, what a thrill – should he be out in the open, though? With there being twenty-thousand Rupees on his head, that is."

"The signs say my dad will be wearing green, so he changed to wearing blue," said Ketura.

Arianne nodded appreciatively. "Of course."

"I would have expected something like this to happen," added Impa.

"Oh?" Arianne looked at Impa curiously.

"Last week our scouts reported a huge pack of Lizalfos on the move, heading east past Lake Hylia. It's strange, because Lizalfos are usually very territorial … and now a Bulbin attack."

"How are the two related, though?" asked Ketura. "I thought Bulbins and Lizalfos didn't like each other." She wondered if Impa would jump to the conclusion that Ganondorf was behind the Bulbin attack. It was weird and a little painful, knowing what was happening but unable to say anything.

"They don't. I just worry any time large groups of monsters do anything."

For a few minutes, everybody was quiet. Ketura stared down at her hands, which sat folded in her lap. Her dad was probably okay against some Bulbins, she thought, unless Zant made a surprise appearance. What really made her want to squirm was the fact that midnight approached swiftly, and she didn't dare try to leave the bar.

"Anyway, what were we discussing before our interruption?" Arianne asked Telma abruptly.

"Your reasons, for wanting to help us and betray your family," said Telma pointedly.

"Ah, yes! Well, I'm not after the throne myself if that's what you're thinking. Who would want to rule anyway? So much responsibility," Arianne answered casually before gulping down some more wine. "I am happy right where I am, Telma. Zelda, though – she changed, suddenly, and for the worse, and I don't know why. I don't know if the pressure of ruling Hyrule has gotten to her or if something else happened, but … she's my sister, and I want to help her. Even if it means overthrowing her."

Telma nodded thoughtfully. "So when Zelda is removed from power, you want to assume care and responsibility for her?"

"Yes. I do," said Arianne. "She can live on my estate for the rest of her life, and I will make sure all of her needs are met. She can even know her niece or nephew, once they're born," she added, smiling sadly as she rubbed her stomach.

"Will you be attending her wedding?" Telma continued.

"Oh, no," said Arianne, sounding offended. "The little one should be arriving around that time, so luckily I have an excuse to not go. I can't stand that Daphnes! His smug, holier-than-thou attitude and hatred of all things pleasant – I'm honestly surprised that their wedding is going to be a proper ball rather than a slightly fancier temple service! No – I don't approve of Zelda's marriage, and Daphnes is not invited to my estate now or ever."

"So you won't mind if we throw him in a cell," said Impa nonchalantly.

Arianne laughed with delight.

Impa suddenly went on the defensive as someone thundered up the stairs towards the flat. She bent her knees, positioned her daggers to strike, when Link shouted out "It's me! Open up!" Once Impa opened the door, he flew inside, and his eyes found his daughter.

"Dad! Are you okay?" Ketura sprang to her feet and ran to him. The first thing she noticed were spatters of dark blood on his face and his dark blue tunic.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "This is, um, Bulbin blood. Not a scratch on me!"

Ketura smiled, relieved. "Good!"

Link smiled back, then turned to Impa. "I got one of them to talk. He said that they had been sent by Zant, but their orders were to make it look like-" he glanced to Arianne and paused. "Like someone else had done it."

Impa hung her head. Telma rolled her eyes and shook her head. Arianne asked, "Who's Zant?"

"It's a long story," said Impa with a sigh. As she launched into an explanation of who Zant was and what his connection to Zelda was, Link put an arm around Ketura's shoulder and guided her to the far end of the living room.

"Ketura, I'm going to be gone for a little while," Link began. He sounded tired. "Impa is leading a group of us to go free a village that's under heavy occupation by the Hylian army. The people there are running out of food and clean water, according to messages they were able to sneak out. And the soldiers are mistreating them terribly."

"What happened?" she asked.

"They're all suspected as being traitors and criminals, since the mayor of the town publicly supported the Movement." Link said. He paused. "And then, Midna and I are going to try and find-"

"Link!" Impa called for him. "Any civilian casualties you know of?"

"Not that I saw. The Bulbins seemed more interested in looting and breaking everything they could touch."

"Odd tactic," commented Telma.

Arianne nodded in agreement. "It is. I tell you what – I will begin by giving the Movement ten thousand Rupees for your general fund, ten thousand to help those affected by tonight's events, and however much you think is necessary to finish cleaning up and rebuilding from those fires from a couple of weeks ago."

Telma and Impa looked at each other, eyes wide and mouths agape, pleasantly surprised.

"I think that five thousand should start us off nicely for the fire relief," said Telma, trying very hard not to bounce up and down in her seat. Meanwhile, Ketura tried to envision what a pile of twenty-five thousand Rupees looked like; she imagined a pile of Rupees of every color as tall as Hyrule Castle. Arianne's child wouldn't want for anything growing up, she thought wistfully.

* * *

The night after Link left, Ketura got Telma's blessing to actually go out into Castle Town, as long as she stayed out of trouble and came back by sunrise as usual. She chose to go a couple of hours before midnight, and walked up and down South Road's marketplace thoroughfare before meandering through side streets. Not may people were out and about; many were in a hurry to get where they needed to go, and others still sifted through heaps of ash and rubble. Shattered glass lay in the streets outside of broken windows, and boards and bricks and stones had been knocked out of walls, leaving large holes in the fronts and sides of buildings or resulting in a collapse of the structure. Ketura saw the roof of one house, completely split in half, and lying on top of a mound of rubble; only a few supporting beams still stood. In the house next door, she noticed a man sitting at the window with a crossbow in his lap. Not wanting to be mistaken for a Bulbin, she turned and headed back the way she came.

Part of her wished that Zant would just go ahead and snatch her while she was out, alone and vulnerable. She didn't want to think about what he would do to Castle Town next.

* * *

For the fourth time in a row, Ketura found herself flat on her back, with Ganondorf's sword pointing at her face. "Once again, you are dead," he said before pulling his blade away so she could get up.

"I don't know if you've noticed, Ketura, but you made the same error every round that allowed me to knock you down," Ganondorf continued.

Ketura racked her brain and rubbed her shoulder, trying to think of what could have possibly gone wrong. As far as she knew, she had gotten all of the forms and footwork right, and she had just figured that it was a difference in strength and skill level, the two things she definitely lacked.

"No. What did I do?" she asked, disappointed in herself for being unable to figure it out.

Ganondorf sat down next to the campfire. "You are always on the defensive," he said.

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Ketura as she sat down next to him.

"Well, you want to attack your opponent at some point, don't you? If you spend an entire fight defending yourself, your opponent will spend that time watching your movements and deduce where your weak points are … or just wear you down."

"How do you know I wasn't just waiting for an opening?" she said cheekily in response.

"Because if that were the case, you would have tried to strike me. You need to be more forceful, more aggressive."

Ketura nodded to signify that she understood. She thought about what he said, and realized that in most of the fights she had been in so far she had mainly defended herself.

"Okay, so … how do I do that?" she asked.

"By doing it, of course. You would also benefit from not overthinking everything."

Ketura reached for her sword.

"Not now. We're done for tonight." Ganondorf glanced down at the fire, then his eyes found her feet. "You're not wearing your new boots," he commented, sounding a little disappointed.

"They don't fit," said Ketura matter-of-factly. "I am wearing the socks though. They're nice and warm. Soft and squishy too."

Ganondorf chuckled. "Of all of the items I gave you, I never imagined that the socks would be your favorite."

"Well, I tried brewing a Green Potion the other day, and it boiled over and exploded all over me. Probably because I added too much water … but yes. Socks."

A few moments of silence passed. Ketura stretched out her arms and shoulders, which were stiff and sore from swinging around a sword that was just a tad too heavy for her. She would probably still be sore in the morning.

"If we're done, I'm gonna head back," she said after she finished stretching.

"Very well," said Ganondorf. "I will be gone for the next couple of days," he added.

"Where are you going?" asked Ketura as she stood up. She tried to imagine what kind of monster he would try to recruit this time, and her mind's eye imagined a giant dragon with an impressive wingspan and sharp teeth.

He smiled slightly. "The desert. I received a message from the army's camp, and they said a group of Gerudo has joined them!"

"That's great, but … do they know it's _your_ army?" said Ketura.

"That's why they joined," said Ganondorf confidently. "It's the Cult of Dragmire. They worship me and have been awaiting my return for centuries, hoping I will lead our people into a new age of freedom and prosperity."

Ketura nodded, remembering how it was members of the Cult of Dragmire who originally had tried to resurrect him, and how former Cult members had joined the rebellion. "So, you think they'll throw a huge party in your honor or something like that?" she inquired.

"Yes, of course they will. I would invite you to come, but … the things that will happen, I don't know if you would want to witness or take part in them."

"What do you mean by – wait, hold on. Just … no." Her mind raced with ideas such as ritual animal sacrifice, use of scary dark magic, and something else that turned her face bright red. "I'm gonna go. Now. Tell the Cult of Dragmire I said hi." She turned to walk away.

"Watch for my return," he said. "And if there is another pestilence inflicted on the city by Zant, you are leaving this place and staying by my side."

Ketura whipped her head around to lock eyes with him. "Only if I no longer feel safe here," she said firmly.

"I have never liked the fact that you insist on staying in Castle Town," Ganondorf responded. "If you were with me all the time, I would be much more at ease."

"Well … okay. But if something happened to me you could always get one of your people in the Cult of Dragmire to replace me as your Zant-fighting buddy. Hell, she would probably be a better fighter than me anyway –"

"None of them could replace you, or do for me what you can do."

Ketura swallowed hard. She didn't know how to feel about that statement, and the annoyance that came with Ganondorf's intentional vagueness seeped up from her subconscious again.

"And what is it that I can do for you?" she asked. "I've been hanging out with you for two months now, and I still don't know what all you're up to or why I'm so damn important! How do you expect me to fully trust you if you won't be honest with me?"

Ganondorf opened his mouth to speak. "Ketura, I-"

"And _don't_ give me any crap about how 'I'll know in time.' Because I think now is the time."

She watched him, and he watched her, each of them waiting for the other to say or do something. When Ganondorf didn't falter, Ketura spoke up again.

"Or, is it that if I knew what you were really doing, I wouldn't want to be a part of it?"

A pause.

"What I am doing, Ketura, is giving you what you want," Ganondorf answered plainly.

Ketura scoffed in response. "Really?"

Another pause.

"We are preparing for something glorious, and when we achieve it, all of your desires will be fulfilled."

"And achieving this 'glorious something' requires an army somehow?"

"Like I said, when the army is ready I will bring it here to present to Impa. As for my ultimate objectives ... I don't need an army.I just need you."

Ketura broke eye contact and looked down at her feet. She let her mouth gape open, and the skin on the back of her forearm crawled. That final statement left her with a strange mix of flattery, significance, and discomfort … mostly discomfort … and the constantly-present frustration.

"Wh-" she started to ask why again, but figured there wasn't a point. After a brief pause, she began again. "I am not going to do _anything_ with you unless I know what it is, as well as every detail of every plan. I'm perfectly happy to keep training, since there's a murder-happy maniac out there who can't wait to get his hands on me and my dad. I was dumb enough to anger him, and clearly dumb enough to venture out in the middle of the night every night while he's out there and looking for me, but I am not stupid enough to just trust you blindly. So until you feel like having a nice long conversation about it, your glorious future can wait." The entire time she spoke, her hands shook, so she stuck them in her pockets. She also watched him carefully, to see how he would react: if he would try to interrupt, or make any kind of movement, but nothing. He just listened intently to what she had to say with a neutral expression on his face. For all she knew, he was thinking of an easy way to kidnap her.

As if she were testing him further, she took a step backwards. No reaction from him. So she took another step, and another, until she finally decided to turn her back and keep walking.

"I don't care how long it takes, Ketura. I know you will one day make the right decision."

Ketura didn't respond. Instead, she thought about how the best decision she could have made in her entire life was to just walk on by his partially exhumed corpse, and let him continue to rot there.


	28. Twenty-Seven

**TWENTY-SEVEN**

Glancing over her shoulder every few seconds revealed nothing new as she continued walking to the entrance to the tunnel; Ganondorf wasn't following her, or if he was he was being quite stealthy. She just kept moving, hoping she could get into the tunnel and deliver the password quickly enough – what was it again? It had something to do with colors and food ….

Her mind veered off course, though, as she once again wondered why _her_. Why _she_ was so special that apparently Ganondorf's secret master plan couldn't work without her. It probably did involve something nefarious, and she imagined a ritual sacrifice, either because she was the one who brought him back or because she was the child of the man who killed him. There couldn't be any other explanation, because otherwise there just wasn't anything that special about her – in her mind at least. She was an ordinary girl who was content to have been an ordinary girl. How she wished she could return to the days where her biggest problems were the hole in the roof or a nearly empty ice box-

Suddenly she remembered the password. But before she could do anything else, she saw a flash of red in her peripheral vision. She looked to see the source of the flash, and she gasped. Standing in front of the gate back into Castle Town was Zant, with five people kneeling in front of him. Ketura quickly jumped behind the closest tree and stuck her head out to the side just enough to watch what was happening.

Torches posted at the gate illuminated the scene. Zant faced one man, a Hylian soldier, and extended an arm to raise him off the ground and into the air. The soldier hovered, stiff as a board, but pleaded with Zant to "Stop this! Release us!" After a quiet second passed, Zant raised his other arm and created a jagged black crystal in his hand, which glowed with a red aura. He forcefully shoved the crystal into the soldier's chest, and the soldier screamed in agony. The other four people watched, and Ketura could see the horror and dread on their faces. She didn't understand what Zant was doing, but she knew it wasn't good.

The Hylian soldier's screams died down, and his body shriveled into a dense dark ball that Zant allowed to fall from the ground. One woman in the lineup wailed loudly. A moment later, the dark ball that had once been a man expanded, growing arms and legs and a head and elongating until it had become a fully formed shadow beast. The other people gasped and cried out in fear, but with one look in their direction from Zant they fell silent.

"Now, who's next?" he asked, sounding like he was merely playing a game. His question was immediately met with another uproar of shrill protests and begging, the loudest of which came from another man three people down from where the Hylian soldier once stood. Zant walked down the lineup to that man, raised him into the air, and repeated the same process.

Who were these people, Ketura wondered, and why them? She didn't recognize any of their voices. She couldn't pick out any clear connection between them. One by one those people went from scared human beings saying "Please, no! Let me go! I'll give you anything you want! Don't do this!" to silent shadow beasts who stood perfectly still as their numbers in the lineup increased. Ketura had known that Zant had been transforming people into those monsters, but to actually see it happen was something else. It filled her with dread, like someone had grabbed onto her insides and squeezed them as tight as they could. She wanted to look away but at the same time she didn't.

Five shadow beasts soon stood before Zant, who walked up and down the lineup and inspecting his handiwork. He let out a soft, menacing chuckle, and stopped walking when he reached the end of the line, standing next to the shadow beast who had once been the Hylian soldier.

"Go, into the city," he ordered the beasts, "and create chaos."

The beasts broke into a lumbering run, going through the gate one at a time, and into Castle Town. Once the last one had gone in, Zant disintegrated into black squares that floated upwards into one of his jagged portals. Ketura spent a moment staring at the spot where the shadow beasts once stood, then glanced back to where she had met with Ganondorf, then back towards the city gate. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm her furiously pounding heart, and then ran as fast as her feet could carry her into Castle Town.

* * *

South Road's major thoroughfare was empty, save for two stray dogs who had gotten into the meat stand and were chowing down on some sausages. Ketura glanced down the nearby side streets and saw nothing but piles of snow and slush … and then she heard the _crash_ of shattering glass behind her. She turned to see one of the beasts smashing the windows of a shop, then reaching its long arm through the window and swatting it to knock over the hats on display before jumping inside the shop and continuing to knock things over and around. Ketura ran up to the shop and ambled in through the window, being careful to avoid broken shards of glass, and shot a large jagged bolt of red light at the beast. After being hit in the back of the head, the beast fell over onto a table, crushing the table under its weight and slamming into the ground. For good measure, Ketura lobbed another attack into the beast's back. It exploded into wisps of black vapor and red sparks. Once all of the vapor had cleared and only a small pile of ash lay where the beast used to stand, she crawled out of the window, being careful to avoid the sharp edges of the broken glass.

One down, four to go. It was going to be a long night, she thought. As she ran through the southern neighborhoods, she recalled the transformation process she had witnessed, and how these creatures had once been human … would she technically be killing people? Was there a way to turn them back, or was the transformation permanent? No matter what, she couldn't let them run around, leaving destruction in their paths.

What felt like an hour passed by before she saw another shadow beasts. After running down side almost every side street in the South Road area, she wound up on the southernmost edges of the West Road neighborhoods. Three houses in a row had been completely wrecked, with smashed windows and giant holes in the walls; one house was on the verge of collapse, as a support beam in one corner lay in splintered pieces on the ground. The families who lived in the houses were still in the process of climbing out of the wreckage. Someone in the next house over screamed as a man flew out through a window, landing hard in the street amidst snow and shards of broken glass.

Ketura ran over and helped that man to his feet. "My son is still in there, with that monster!" he said frantically, pointing at the house. Almost as if it was on cue, a boy screamed from inside the house. "Papa! Papa!"

"I don't know what to do. I can't fight that thing! It's massive!" the man lamented as he clasped his hands to the top of his head.

"I can," said Ketura before charging towards the house. She climbed in through the broken window into a living room with ripped-up furniture, a torn carpet, and ripped-up paintings littering the floor. Before her stood the shadow beast, back turned to her, with one of its massive hands wrapped around the neck of a boy who looked no older than ten. The boy flailed and struggled and kicked his legs in a futile effort to free himself. Seeing that she had a clear shot, Ketura shot a red bolt of light at the beast and hit it in the back. The beast turned its head towards her, dropped the boy, and swung its body around so it could charge right at her. While the boy crawled into a corner and curled into a ball, Ketura jumped to the side to avoid being swatted, but the beast successfully made contact and knocked her into the wall. There was blunt pain in her head where she hit the wall, and stinging pain across her cheek where the beast had struck her. She got back onto her feet, to see the beast only two feet away from her, and she wasted no time in throwing another bolt at it. Her attack missed as the beast bobbed to the side, and it swiped her again, knocking her into a bookshelf. After hitting her temple on the shelf, she dropped to her knees, and a few books on the shelf fell down around her. She got back up and jumped out of the way just in time for the beast to try and attack her again. Now that the beast had left itself vulnerable to attack, she shot another red bolt and hit it in the chest. The beast let out a weak roar, fell to the ground, and exploded like the first one had.

Ketura moved towards the boy in the corner. "Come on," she said, extending out a hand to the boy, who looked up at her with wide anxious eyes. He looked past her to see the pile of ash that had once been the shadow beast, then back to her, and took her hand. She pulled him up and led him to the broken window, lifted him through and onto the street, and hopped out behind him. The boy jumped into his father's arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," the man said to Ketura.

"Yeah, of course," said Ketura. She looked from him down the street at the other people standing outside, huddling together for warmth, looking back towards her with mixtures of fear, confusion, and awe.

"And there are more running around," she added before taking off again, doing the best she could to push through the throbbing pains in her head.

* * *

She followed a trail of wrecked buildings, debris, crumbled stones, pieces of brick, broken glass, and scared people down West Road to the park where her father had given a speech, and saw the remaining three shadow beasts on all fours, skulking around by the statue of Farore. As she slowly walked closer, she thought of how she had beaten the three last time, specifically that if one was left standing then it would bring the others back for another round. Her heart raced, her chest and feet ached, she was out of breath, her head still hurt from where she had been thrown around that one house, and she racked her brain to think of an easy way to dispatch all three of them at once … there was a spell Ganondorf had taught her, that she hadn't attempted since learning it … but it could work, she thought.

One of the beasts turned itself around, paused, then looked up right at her. It charged right at her, accompanied by its comrades, one of whom growled eerily. Ketura widened her stance, planted her feet firmly on the ground, and held out an open palm. She formed a black sphere in her hand, and once it grew big enough it started crackling with lightning-like bursts of red and purple.

The beast gained on her swiftly, and even though it wasn't quite ready yet Ketura hurled her sphere forward. The sphere broke into three smaller ones, two of which hit one beast each. The third missed narrowly as its intended target leaped forward towards Ketura; however, the beast stopped to let out its roar that raised the other two back to their feet.

"Of course," Ketura muttered under her breath. She jogged backwards to put some distance between herself and the shadow beasts, who moved to converge on her once they got back on their feet. One became uncomfortably close, and she did not hesitate to shoot a red bolt at it, which hit square in the chest. Confident that that one would be down, she turned her attention to the remaining two and formed another crackling black sphere in her hand. This time, her attack split into two upon being cast, and she succeeded in hitting both of them.

The final two shadow beasts she had hit exploded once they hit the ground. She didn't see an explosion in her peripheral vision where the first one had fallen, however, so she looked down at the ground where that beast was, and gasped at what she saw. The black-and-red crystal Zant had used for the transformation lay on the ground, coated in blood and staining the snow around it red. Nearby lay a man with a bushy black beard, a pale face, and a large hole in his chest from which blood oozed out and onto his shirt and the ground around him.

Ketura dropped to her knees at the man's side, and her first instinct was to press both of her hands down hard on the man's wound. She made the connection instantly, and the small optimistic voice in her head told her that maybe there was still a chance to save him.

The man gasped for air, and his eyes opened wide and found Ketura's face. Amidst the raspy attempts a breathing, he let out strained noises and grunts that tried to form words.

"You were, uh … you'll be okay," said Ketura, trying to sound calm and comforting. The man on the ground wheezed desperately, and then gagged. Blood filled his mouth, trickling out from the corners onto his face. Panic struck Ketura, as she realized she didn't have any idea what to do for this man. She couldn't carry him, nobody else was around, and she didn't have any potions to give him, and she didn't know any healing spells. "You'll be fine, you'll be okay," she said to him repeatedly, and she saw the pain and fear in his eyes. She could barely imagine how much he was hurting, or what the experience of being a shadow beast was like.

He made an awful retching sound, coughed out some more blood, made one last final attempt at drawing breath, and then he fell still. His eyes still looked up at Ketura, but instead of expressing how he felt they were blank and unfocused. She took a hand, now wet and covered in his blood, and held it to the veins in his neck to feel for a pulse. Nothing.

Now what, she asked herself as she wiped blood off of herself using the man's shirt. Before she could think or do anything else, though, a hazy mass of blue materialized before her, and she looked up to see Zant's projection of himself.

"Maybe now you will think twice about killing my friends," said Zant.

Ketura scoffed. She looked from the dead man on the ground to Zant. "'Friends?' You did this to them," she responded indignantly. "Why would you? He suffered. They all did."

"To make them better. More perfect. And to get somebody's attention."

"Well, here I am. You have my attention." Ketura's voice shook, as did her hands.

Zant inclined his head towards the dead man. "You didn't know that one, but his death moves you. I find it perplexing when one cares about something that is not their own, yet here you are."

"That's what makes us different. I don't just care about myself," spat Ketura.

"Wrong! If you truly cared about these miserable worms in Castle Town, you would have given yourself to me already. You are willing to let them suffer and die so you can hide yourself. _You_ did this!"

"Shut up! No I didn't!"

"Yes, you did. And you will allow it to continue to happen … until the day comes when you finally decide to surrender yourself to me. How many more will you allow me to hurt before then?"

"Well I'm right here! I'm here, in Castle Town, in a park near West Road! If you want me so bad then come and get me!" Ketura threw her arms out as she spoke.

"No … I'm having fun, truth be told … and you have a lot of fight in you, it seems. I want to wait until you are tired and all of your spirit is spent. Then you will come to me."

Zant's projection vanished. Ketura gazed ahead, at a light in a streetlamp, figuring out how she thought and felt about what he had to say. Maybe he was right – no, he wasn't – or was he?

She looked back at the man on the ground, now cold and pale, lying in a small pool of his blood. Ketura sighed tiredly and gently closed his eyelids. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

* * *

Leaving his body in the park wasn't the best thing, but she didn't know what else to do for him. She didn't know his name, or his family, or where he lived, yet he had all those things at one point. So did all of the people who Zant had turned into those beasts … all of those people she had killed.

Her tired, aching feet carried her back to Telma's, and gave out just in time for her body to hit the couch. She didn't bother to take her shoes off, or check herself for any blood that might still be on her. All she could think about were Zant's words, and the scene of those people being transformed, the man on the ground, and the fear in his eyes as his life slowly bled out of him. Was she to blame? Could she have avoided the deaths of those five people if she had already surrendered herself?

None of this had been what she wanted, and she couldn't think of a future for her life that was happy and peaceful. All she could imagine was running, hiding, being attacked, attacking in return, pain, blood, death. There was also the cloudy, uncertain future of whatever Ganondorf had up his sleeve. If she had stayed with him, she thought, perhaps this could have been avoided. Those people could still be alive, sleeping safely in their beds like Telma was just one room away. Or maybe Zant would have come for them anyway.

It seemed like the simple, easy, noble thing to do to give herself up. Yet she had an idea of what that would entail: meeting a nasty, painful end like that man in the park had. She didn't want to go through that, even though others had and probably would again. Did that make her a terrible person?

Perhaps she wasn't a terrible person, Ketura eventually decided. She wasn't the one killing people in an attempt to force someone to surrender themselves. Even if she did, that wasn't a guarantee that Zant would decide to leave Castle Town alone, so she would not have saved anyone anyway if that were the case. Her response to Zant just then hadn't been exactly noble or heroic, though, but in her mind she imagined herself facing him and destroying him with the most powerful magic she could conjure. It was an elaborate fantasy of hers, but it was one she very much wanted to come true.

When she finally let herself go to sleep, she did not dream.


	29. Twenty-Eight

**TWENTY-EIGHT**

The next day went by uneventfully. Ketura decided against leaving the flat while Telma worked the bar, so she stayed in and practiced both magic and swordplay. Since she didn't want to risk breaking anything, she just created the spells in her hand and focused on forming them and growing them into something she could use in battle. A large cutting knife served as her practice sword, and she swung it around the living room and kitchen as she focused on her footwork and stances and arm placement.

Throughout the day, she had expected Telma to suddenly come up and share the news of some terrible thing that happened in the city, yet there was evidently nothing to report. Ketura found that both a relief and a small cause for worry.

* * *

The following morning, Ketura woke up and saw something large and brown in her peripheral vision, laying on the floor at the base of the couch. She looked down and saw her father, as a wolf, curled up around himself and sleeping, his body dramatically rising up and down with each breath he let in and out. She smiled, and felt that things were now a little more all right because he was there with her.

Link stirred and slowly lifted his head. He turned from side to side to look around, sniffed the air, then turned his head as far back as his neck would allow him. When he saw Ketura looking back at him, he opened his mouth slightly as if to smile, and then he tapped his paw on the ground. Seconds later, he was human again and crouching down in front of his daughter.

"Dad!" she said, her tone soft but excited.

"Hi, darling," said Link, "you were asleep when I came in last night. Telma had told me you've been kind of quiet and withdrawn the past couple of days. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Just … um … I'm good now." Ketura sat up slowly, keeping a blanket draped over her lap.

"Now that you see that your old man's gotten himself out of another scrape?" asked Link jokingly as he joined his daughter on the couch. "We won in the village, drove the army out and freed the villagers. Impa and the others are still there, providing protection while they help the villagers set up their own defenses. Midna and I left early so we could make it back here." Once seated, he rested a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't want to miss today, after all."

"Huh? What's today?" she asked. While it was nice to hear that the village in question was free, the news had no impact on her.

Link chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing one of us remembered your birthday, eh?"

"Today's my birthday? Wow … I totally forgot."

" _You_ feel bad? I haven't been able to find you a birthday present. Flea market chocolate prices have gone up, and I don't know where the bookstores are in Castle Town-"

"Dad, It's okay." Ketura reassured him. "Mom couldn't always get me birthday presents either. I'm just glad you're here, honestly."

Looking slightly relieved, Link gave her a small smile.

"Next year, then. We'll get you sixteen years' worth of presents, to make up for this year and all the past birthdays I missed, in addition to your present for your seventeenth birthday."

"Really?" Ketura imagined being swamped in all kinds of trinkets and junk, and not being sure what to do with any of it. "Sounds like a bit much."

"Okay, not if you don't want to." Link conceded. After a beat of silence, he leaned in and gently kissed the top of his daughter's head.

"Happy birthday."

* * *

Later that night, Ketura and Link joined Telma down in the bar, which she closed up early. Telma had put a sign on the front entrance of the bar reading "Closed to the Public for a Private Party." That private party consisted of the other members of the Liberation Movement, who trickled in one by one through the kitchen passageway, and were swiftly greeted with enthusiasm and served food and drink. Ketura helped the best she could with pouring and serving drinks to everyone, although at one point she gave Luda mead and Colin wine when she meant to give the wine to Luda and the mead to Colin. "Sorry," she said timidly, but neither of them seemed too bothered by the mix-up. Meanwhile, she built herself a plate of assorted finger foods: crackers, cheese, meats, a dark green dip, and a couple of small frosted cookies.

The air filled with the loud buzz of multiple excited conversations occurring at the same time. People sat themselves down at tables or stood up along the bar or the walls. Once everyone had been served, Telma slid a glass of red wine to Ketura. "For your birthday," she said, "and your father doesn't mind," she added, nodding towards Link.

"One glass. That's it," said Link, who sat at the bar with his drink. Midna sat on the edge of the bar, facing out towards the rest of the space with her legs crossed carelessly. Ketura stepped out from behind the bar and sat next to him, and then took a sip of the wine. It tasted sweet, like grapes and berries, with a slight bitter edge to it.

The door to the kitchen opened, and Talo walked through. Behind Talo came a young man, also brunette, with small piercing eyes, and dressed in a velvety fur-trimmed tunic with scrolling golden embroidery.

"Look who's finally decided to join us!" said Talo as he gestured to the young man, whose eyes darted swiftly around the bar and at everyone in it. Link, Colin, and Luda looked at the young man for a second before they all gasped and let their mouths gape open in surprise.

"Malo?" Link blurted out.

The young man's eyes focused on Link, and then he nodded. "You look well, Link, and I don't blame you for not recognizing me, as I was just a small child the last we met."

"Hey, what are you doing here?" asked Colin.

"I heard your movement had recently achieved a significant victory against the Hylian army, and Talo invited me to this celebration," Malo answered.

"It was pretty amazing," replied Colin.

"Yeah! We were outnumbered – forty of us against maybe a hundred soldiers, but Nabira and Levali over there-" Link gestured to the twins who sat with Zahrain and a few other Gerudo "-were instrumental, because their magic helped keep the soldiers contained-"

"I fought like, ten men at once with my sword," said Talo, as if he was bragging.

"If by ten you mean two," Colin rebutted. Luda snickered.

Ketura looked at her dad expectantly, hoping he would recount something he did during the fight.

"And I, um, learned that I am still pretty good at the Jump Strike," said Link. A few people chuckled appreciatively. He leaned in and whispered to Ketura, "it's an advanced sword technique."

"The village now has the resources necessary to defend itself, and hopefully the army has learned the consequences of treading on the peoples' freedom," said Impa proudly.

Malo nodded and even cracked a little smile. He stepped out from behind the bar and positioned himself in the center of the room.

"Impressive work, everybody. I admire your dedication to making Hyrule a better place for the common person. If you find yourself in need of supplies to continue the advancement of your cause, I will happily provide them for you … at a discount, for the sake of my big brother and for my childhood friends present here tonight."

"What kind of supplies?" asked Impa.

"Well, a new type of armor is under development. It will be light and as strong as a full suit. You could use it, Impa. I was there the day that one of your people stood atop a fountain, gave a rousing speech, and was shot down by the Hylian army." Malo paused, giving Impa a pointed, knowing stare. "I also have a large stock of swords, bows, crossbows, bolts, arrows, and bombs. Even food and medical supplies, if that is what you need. In addition to the friends-and-family discount I previously mentioned, buying in bulk will save you even more in both the short term and long run."

"Wait a minute," Telma interjected, "Haven't you done business with the Crown before? Selling weapons and goods to Zelda?"

Malo shrugged. "I don't understand the problem. Their Rupees are as good as yours."

"So … whose side are you on, exactly?" Impa asked Malo.

He didn't answer immediately, instead opting to grab a nearby bottle of wine off a table and pour himself a glass. "Nobody's. Politics is bad for business," he said glibly before having a sip of wine. "Choosing a side is a gamble. Sure, I would like for the masses to have a greater voice in their own governance, but if by some accident of fate your cause loses and I align myself with you, I would go down as well. Malo Mart would be no more, my assets are seized by the Crown, my hundreds of employees all over Hyrule would lose their jobs, and my flow of charitable giving evaporates. However, if I were to publicly side with the Royal Family in this conflict … that would be a betrayal of my principles, my family and friends, and my greatest investor, who supports your cause. Lady Arianne would try to destroy me, and she would succeed. The people who depend on my company for affordable goods and steady jobs would see me as another soulless giant, corporate lapdog of the Crown and would love to see me go down with them. Malo Mart would be no more, Arianne takes all of my assets, my hundreds of employees all over Hyrule would lose their jobs, and my flow of charitable giving evaporates."

To Ketura, it sounded like Malo was technically on the rebellion's side. After having another drink of wine, Malo added "I still don't know what kind of governing person or body of people you will put into power instead of a monarch, and that does give me concern."

Ketura drank some more of her wine and tried the green dip on a cracker. It tasted like spinach, cheese, and garlic. While Impa and Malo debated the feasibility of each province choosing people to represent them in a national body of government, she zoned out and paid attention to some of the other chatter in the bar. It started out as conversations about the best way to sharpen swords or sharing the story of an ancient city high in the sky, but then just became background noise. Like any of it mattered. What was she doing, eating and drinking and trying to pretend everything was okay when someone else in Castle Town was probably being terrorized or killed by Zant?

"Hey," Link tapped her on the arm. "You feeling okay?"

"Oh, um, yeah," she responded.

"Is the wine a bit much for you?"

"No, I feel fine. Just … they were talking about having a body of representatives governing Hyrule, and I was thinking about something -" her mind raced, trying to find something to say "- I once read about how long ago the Zoras had something called a senate, which was kind of the same thing. Then one of the senators crowned himself king and killed all the others and the king at the time, so …."

Link nodded. "I do like the idea of representatives governing Hyrule, if done right. They'll hold each other accountable, be accountable to the people who choose them, but we'd have to make sure that nobody tries to seize all the power for themselves, right?"

"Right." Ketura agreed, relieved to have her mind taken off Zant for a little while. "Say, Dad, would you want to be one of those representatives? I mean, you're a Hero, and you come with trust and respect because of that, and you'd do right by everyone."

"I don't think so," Link chuckled. "Politics is not my thing."

"Honestly, I could see you in a room full of stuffy pompous idiots, telling them all like it is," said Midna playfully, "and I could teach you a thing or two about how to govern if you'd like."

Link shook his head. "No, no, no- when this is all over, I'm going to buy land in Ordona Province and live in a big house surrounded by a ranch full of horses and goats. I'm ready for a peaceful, stress-free life. You'll have your own big room, Ketura, with a whole wall full of books."

"Just a wall? Dad. I want my own private library in this house," Ketura corrected him.

"All right, you can have a whole library. Every book you ever wanted in one place. And … and it needs a big kitchen. I'll learn how to cook and we'll eat like royalty every night." Link added.

"I could teach you how to cook. I know a few recipes."

"Sounds like a perfect father-daughter activity. Can you ride a horse?"

"No," said Ketura.

"I'll teach you. We'll teach each other things … I do want a sword collection, for decoration purposes. Swords of all shapes and sizes displayed so that any boys you bring home will see them and be warned."

Ketura snorted. "Why would I bring boys home to meet you?"

"So they can get my approval, of course! Before you and he can start a romantic relationship, I have to know he's good enough for you and will treat you right. It's my responsibility as a dad, after all."

"Okay … but I've never seen myself getting romantic with boys, Dad. Like, other girls my age at school would start getting boy-crazy when we were all ten, but I just _didn't_. I've never seen a guy and thought 'Wow, he's really cute, he should be my boyfriend.' So … don't worry about me and boys."

"You are officially the best daughter ever," said Link proudly.

Chortling, Ketura replied "Thanks." She scarfed down a frosted cookie, chased it with some wine, and then her eyes found Midna. "Say, Midna, you want to live in our big ranch house with us?"

Instead of enthusiastically responding, Midna shared a reluctant, uncomfortable look with Link. Ketura interpreted the gesture to mean that for whatever reason, her father and Midna were not planning on staying together forever. It made little sense to her, though; they were friends and maybe even in love, so why go their separate ways?

Reaching for a subject change, Link pointed to Ketura's plate. "How's that green dip?"

* * *

As people drank more, the conversations and chatter grew rowdier, with a clamor of loud voices peppered with laughter ringing through the bar. Some Hylian men jumped onto a table to sing and dance, ignoring Telma's requests to get down, and others cheered and clapped along with their song. A Gerudo woman wearing a thick red cloak came in through the kitchen passageway, still shaking snow out of her auburn tresses, and then Telma's twin sisters accosted her and dragged her into a group to talk. Once the group of Hylian men finished their very off-key rendition of a drinking song, three Gerudo women began their own song, accompanying the lyrics with rhythmic clapping and dancing. Ketura watched them dance, particularly how one woman swayed her hips from side to side in time with the music.

"Shuddup!" A drunken Hylian man cried out in slurred words. "That song's so bad. Stoppit."

The three women instantly stopped singing and dancing. "Excuse you," one of them said, "We've had to listen to several of your tacky songs. We can sing if we want. And maybe everyone else wants a break from hearing about this Zora lass from Lake Hylia with two giant-"

"Ye ain't even singing! The noises commin outta yer mouth are like dyin' birds! An' who wantsa hear about some sand whore who-"

"What did you just say?!"

Every Gerudo in the bar glared angrily at the drunken man, as well as a few of the Hylians. Given the reaction, Ketura assumed that "sand whore" was a derogatory term.

"Maarten, give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out right now." Telma said to the drunkard, trying to sound calm and stern while visibly seething.

"I'm just sayin' if you had better songs you'd be taken more serious."

Telma sighed. "Get him out of here."

As some others grabbed Maarten and dragged him to the kitchen, Ketura finished her wine in one big gulp. Her head felt funny and light, but she also wanted another glass. It tasted good, and it made her feel strangely good. She got up from her seat at the bar and made her way to the bathroom. When she finished her business, she emerged to find the newly-arrived Gerudo woman standing outside the bathroom, leaning against the wall. Her cloak remained fastened around her neck, but she had pushed it behind her shoulders to show off her curvaceous hips and bosom, which were clothed in red leather. Ketura also noticed her purple eyeshadow, and the stunning green of her eyes.

"I hear it's your birthday," the Gerudo woman said congenially. "Sixteen, is it?"

"Uh, yeah," said Ketura. "Sorry, have we met before?"

"The name's Amal. I don't blame you for not remembering me- after our base in the village got attacked and we moved to Lake Hylia, I took off with Impa's blessing to do some independent scouting. It's a long, boring story, but- can I get you a drink, birthday girl?"

Ketura glanced past Amal to see her dad and Midna playing a game with Talo, Malo, and Colin that involved throwing a small ball into a cup and then taking a drink. "I was allowed to have one drink tonight, and I already had it," she said.

Amal chortled. "Come on, it's your birthday! Live a little!" She grabbed Ketura by the arm and walked her to the bar.

"Besides," Amal whispered, "we both know you don't do everything your father asks you to do."

Before she knew it, Ketura was sitting at the bar with Amal, who snatched a bottle of wine while Telma's back was turned and poured some out for the both of them. Ketura watched Amal carefully, wondering how Amal figured out that she didn't always obey her father, trying to remember where she had heard Amal's name before … and also found herself glancing down at the older woman's breasts from time to time, displayed above her tunic's neckline as full round cleavage.

"So, um, what all did you see while scouting?" asked Ketura, focusing on Amal's face, only to be distracted again by the bright brilliant green of her eyes.

"Well I told everyone else I saw packs of Lizalfos going west towards Death Mountain, and some Hylian soldiers setting up a garrison at the Bridge of Eldin. That's about it." Amal paused, looked around, then leaned in closer to Ketura so she could whisper "I lied about the Lizalfos, of course, but you already knew about that."

Ketura raised an eyebrow. The conclusion she came to about how Amal was aware of the Lizalfos' movements was one she didn't particularly like.

"Enough with that, though. It's work. Business. We're at a party! Tell me something about yourself, Ketura," Amal continued after a swig of wine.

"Okay … uh … like what?" asked Ketura, finding herself at a loss for words and once again distracted. Amal didn't say or do anything, except look upon her as if she was the most interesting person in the world; Ketura decided that she was stunningly beautiful, with her smooth-looking golden brown skin and bright eyes and soft-looking lips. She briefly wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips.

"Anything. For instance, what makes you unique? Exceptional?"

"Um … nothing, really. Well- I can kind of do magic, that's all, but other people can do that too, and better than I can, so … I won a spelling contest in school. Does that count? No, it doesn't. Um … nah. I'm just normal, I guess."

"I see." Amal pursed her lips.

"Yeah, my life only got exciting recently," said Ketura sheepishly. "What about, uh, you? You have an interesting life story?"

"I do," said Amal, "but I don't feel like telling it right now … although I will say, I like beautiful things, especially the one before me right now." Her tone shifted to a low, sultry quality. "It's your eyes. They're so expressive." She reached out and gently brushed Ketura's bangs to the side to reveal more of her forehead. The touch left Ketura with a subtle feeling and sensation that she couldn't quite name, but it gave her a small thrill.

"Thanks," giggled Ketura. Her face grew warmer. "I, uh, think you're a, um, human work of art too. Especially your, uh-" she couldn't help herself from glancing down again, and her face grew hot, and her stomach fluttered. "All of you, really."

Amal laughed. "Your flirting skills need some work, though. But that's something you get with age and experience."

"Oh-um, I didn't mean to flirt, but you can take it that way if you want." Ketura mentally chastised herself for acting like a dork, and it seemed to her that she was being particularly dorky around the gorgeous yet confusing woman in front of her.

"I will, thank you." Amal sipped some wine.

Ketura found herself growing more and more flustered, and a warm feeling rose up inside of her to accompany the flutters in her stomach. She found herself looking at Amal's lips again, driven by that curiosity she couldn't vocalize, enacting a fantasy in her head where they did kiss and there were no consequences or afterthoughts or strings attached, just pure feeling and sensation-

"What are you thinking about?" Amal asked.

"Oh?" Ketura was taken aback. "I was, just, uh … no, it's silly."

"Tell me."

"You'll probably think it's weird, or crazy, or just plain wrong, but- do you think it's possible for a girl to, uh, be attracted to girls the way she's supposed to be attracted to boys?" She paused, and her face became even hotter. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it."

"No, it's all right. And it is possible. For many Gerudo women it is their way of life, and for more of us we enjoy both women and men," answered Amal, smirking. "I don't know how many Hylians are like that, because your culture prioritizes pairings of women with men exclusively. That way is so sad, because it forces people to be something they're not." She rested a hand on Ketura's knee. "Why, are you attracted to me?"

"Uh … yeah," answered Ketura.

Amal chuckled appreciatively. "Usually I only go for my fellow Gerudo, but tonight I think I'll make an exception …." Her tone became dangerously low and seductive, and a tingle shot down Ketura's spine.

Both of them leaned in and met each other halfway, where their lips came together. It was nothing like Ketura had expected: the softness, the warmth, the taste of wine that still lingered, hot sweet breath on her face, the flutters dissipating and being replaced with something warm and satisfying, Amal's hands gently cradling her face – and it was over too soon.

"My birthday gift to you," said Amal after she pulled away. Instead of saying anything, Ketura let out a giggle.

"Thanks. That was … nice," said Ketura breathlessly.

"Better than kissing a boy?"

"I've never kissed a boy before. And now, I don't think I ever want to."

"Before you get any ideas, I already have someone," said Amal, her cheeks also flushed with color. "What do you suppose your father would think, should it be that you prefer girls to boys?"

Ketura glanced over her shoulder towards Link, who was still engrossed in the game with the ball and the cup. Colin had stopped playing; instead, he sat to the side slumped in a chair.

"Hopefully he won't care," she said.

"Yes, hopefully. He seems like such a morally upright fellow, following Goddesses who teach that the only way to be is one woman with one man."

"Eh, I probably won't say anything to anyone about it until I know for sure," Ketura said with a shrug. She took another sip of wine, caught Amal's eyes, smiled, and blushed even harder.

"And I have something else for you too." Amal rummaged through her pockets and retrieve a folded-up sheet of paper. "A message from our mutual friend."

The warm fuzzies that had built up inside of Ketura vanished near instantly. She took the note, checked over her shoulder to see that Link was still preoccupied with his drinking game, and unfolded the sheet of paper. She read the message, keeping her expression neutral as she did, and then refolded the paper so she could put it in her own pocket.

 _I will return to Castle Town in two days' time. Meet me in the usual time and place. I ask that you bring a Growth Potion with you. Instructions for brewing it are found in your potion recipe book._

* * *

Later that night, Link slept on the couch in Telma's flat, out cold after having too much to drink. After checking her father's pulse to make sure he was still alive, Ketura sat at the kitchen table, thinking over the events of that night. It had been a good birthday, she decided, even if the party wasn't in her honor. Her first kiss had also happened, and she replayed it over and over again in her head. Kissing was a strange sensation, she concluded, but also an exciting one, and she wanted to do it again – if not with Amal, but with someone else. All of the scenes she imagined featured her kissing and embracing beautiful girls; finally, she tried imagining herself with a boy, but it felt off, like two puzzle pieces that didn't fit.

She knew what the cultural and religious teachings were: the Goddesses created man and woman for one another, to be joined in marriage and in that union produce children, and anything outside of that relationship was wrong and against the Goddesses' design. That specific commandment didn't mean anything to her, but she had heard people say things about "deviants" and "unnatural behavior." She remembered being twelve years old, and hearing the news of how one couple in Kakariko Village had allowed their son to be beaten up by his classmates at school after rumor went around of him romantically embracing another boy. Recalling that story made her not want to say anything to her father about it – but surely, if he really loved her and wanted to protect her, he wouldn't mind. Regardless, she knew that by a long shot that her romantic preferences were not the worst thing about her as long as she went behind his back to associate with his greatest enemy.

The topic consumed her thoughts for a couple of hours, until she reached a conclusion. If she was indeed drawn to women, that was who she was, and that was who she would be. Nobody would force her to be something she was not. However, she would wait until all of their present conflicts were resolved before talking to her father about it.

It suddenly dawned on her, that Amal may not have come to the bar and paid attention to her with the purest of intentions. The kiss may have been a nice bonus, but she must have primarily been there to deliver that message.

The note from Ganondorf in her pocket may have been written on a light scrap of paper, but it felt heavy and burdensome. Why did he want her to brew him a Growth Potion? Surely it wasn't for him; he had to be at least six and a half feet tall already. Maybe it was for her, so she could become stronger. That could be all right, perhaps. The easy, reasonable thing for her to do was to just not make the potion; she couldn't see a good reason to do something for someone who would not be completely honest with her.

She thought about it more, and she decided to make the potion. In the hypothetical scenario playing out in her head, she used it as leverage, and she finally got him to talk, and the scenario ended with Ganondorf begrudgingly saying "All right, I will tell you everything." Her imagination just could not concoct a plausible and not-too-scary grand master plan.


	30. Twenty-Nine

**TWENTY-NINE**

"Here it is."

Ketura went to meet Ganondorf on the night he designated, at the stairsteps and ruins where they usually met. Not a cloud hung in the sky, allowing the moon and stars to shine brightly, and a thick blanket of snow covered the ground. In one hand she held her lantern, and in her other hand she held out a small bottle filled with Growth Potion: bright orange, with flecks of red and yellow floating around inside.

Ganondorf reached out to take the bottle, but Ketura pulled it away swiftly. "What is it for?" she asked. He said nothing in return, and only conveyed his slight annoyance through his facial expression.

"I'm not giving this to you until you tell me exactly what you're going to do with it," said Ketura firmly, "and if I don't like the answer I'm spilling it all on the ground."

A pause.

He let out an exasperated huff. "There is a species of monster that traditionally inhabits the farthest reaches of the Gerudo Desert. I found one close to the Cult of Dragmire's camp, alone and frail and separated from the rest of its pack. It's worm-like, and the Cult referred to it as a Molgera worm. The Growth Potion you brewed should help nurse it back to its full strength."

"And then what? Are you going to try to find its pack?" Ketura asked, even though she had the feeling that Ganondorf had other ideas.

"If you ever paid attention to some of Impa's more secret conversations with her inner circle, you would be aware of the existence of the Earth and Wind Temples," Ganondorf said, "which are heavily guarded by the Hylian army because a Sage inhabits each, practically imprisoned and wiling away their lives praying for Hyrule's protection."

The Earth Temple sounded familiar to Ketura, although she didn't know why he brought it up. Impa had said something about it to King Ralis, back when they had freed the Zoras from their prison camp … something about his wife being the sage there … Ralis's children asking if their mother would join them soon ….

"I don't want to risk losing any of my people in an all-out attack on the Temples. The Molgera worm hunts by burrowing underground until closing in on its prey, then resurfacing and taking its victim by surprise. It can do the same with the Hylians soldiers. Once they are out of the way, I will have no problem entering the Temples and freeing the Sages."

"Didn't you just say that these Sages pray for Hyrule's protection?" asked Ketura.

"That is true, and once the two forced into Sagehood are liberated, anyone else can take over for them. I'm sure prayers offered by those freely giving them are more satisfying to the Gods anyway," said Ganondorf flippantly.

A brief silent moment passed, during which Ketura contemplated. "Well, I guess any fool who thinks that prayer actually works can spend their lives doing it," she said, thinking of the Zora Queen being reunited with her husband and children, and handed the potion to Ganondorf. He turned the bottle in his hand a couple of times, inspecting the color and flecks, and swished it around a little bit.

"Not bad for your first attempt," he commented before stashing the bottle in his pocket.

"That's actually my fourth," she said. "Which I'm glad that one worked, because sooner or later the lady I'm staying with is going to start wondering where all of her herbs and broths went."

"If you need more ingredients, just tell me and I will get them," said Ganondorf. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke again, changing the subject.

"So, what did you think of Amal?" he asked, his mouth forming a crooked smile.

"Oh, Amal? She- uh-" Ketura blushed, her face warming, and she couldn't think of an easy way to describe the woman. "She's … a … good kisser."

 _"_ She kissed you?"

"Yeah- and I kissed her back _._ I think she liked it? I, uh, I know I did."

Ganondorf raised his eyebrows, let his mouth gape open slightly, and his eyes widened. "Ahh …."

"But there's a problem, because she's-"

"Female?" Ganondorf cut her off.

"She's already got someone."

"I see. Well, contrary to what Hylian religion and culture might teach, there is no shame in two women sharing affections," said Ganondorf. "What did your father think?"

"He didn't see it, so he doesn't know," replied Ketura, feeling a little relieved.

"Ah, yes. There's a lot your father doesn't know about you, isn't there? Everything you do while he's off, playing 'hero' … does it bring you guilt, keeping all of these secrets from him?"

Ketura cast her eyes down to her feet. "Sometimes, yeah," she said.

"Why?" asked Ganondorf.

"Because- I just do." She wondered why he cared.

"Ketura," Ganondorf stepped forward, snow crunching under his weight, and he rested his hands on her shoulders. "You have no reason to feel guilty about what you are doing. It is a necessity, one which he would oppose if he knew about, and he would do so at the expense of Hyrule. Many sacrifices will have to be made for us to succeed. Don't let your conscience be one of them."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll try to not feel bad about it," she said begrudgingly. Link didn't come to her mind; instead, she thought of the man who had been turned into a shadow beast, lying in blood and snow as life drained out of him- she didn't know if he still lay in that same spot, or if his family had found him ….

"That's all I ask," he replied. "Now, let's get to work."

* * *

A few days later, Ketura sat at the bar (closed early by Telma) with her father, eating roast beef and potatoes, listening intently as he told the story of his trip to Snowpeak Mansion. At the table in the back, Telma talked with a group of people that Ketura had never seen before: around six people of different ages and maybe different socioeconomic backgrounds (if the niceness or shabbiness of their clothing served as an accurate indication) One of those people was a teenage boy with white-blonde hair and dimples; this boy would occasionally look away from Telma, glance over to Ketura, and smile at her. She guessed he was good-looking, but she didn't have any kind of visceral reaction when she looked at him … at least, nothing like she had felt when she first saw Amal. She supposed that boy thought she was pretty, but she didn't know what he would accomplish just by looking over at her. He was supposed to be paying attention to Telma, after all.

"That creature put up quite a fight, though. I picked up its weapon – a ball and chain – and went into the next room. There was nothing but Ordon goat cheese in there," said Link reflectively.

"Wow. Seems like an odd place to keep cheese in a house," responded Ketura. "Did you ever find the key?"

"I did, actually. You know, I should take you to meet Yeto and Yeta, once spring and summer come around." Link said, and he went on about using his newfound tool to explore the rest of the mansion, find the key, and then witness the fragment of the Mirror of Twilight turn Yeta into a giant cursed ice monster. As usual, the curse on Yeta was Zant's doing. She wanted to interrupt her dad and ask him what his plan was to deal with Zant.

A few minutes after Link finished his story, the people at the table adjourned their meeting. Some got up and left immediately, two people hung back to talk with Telma some more, and the boy with white-blonde hair and dimples approached the bar and stopped right in front of Ketura. Link eyed the boy cautiously.

"Hi. I'm Franco," he said, leaning against the bar casually. "How about you? What do they name Great Fairies these days?"

"My name's Ketura," said Ketura. "And … I don't know if Great Fairies even have names. They traditionally have titles, like the 'Great Fairy of Magic' or 'Great Fairy of Power.'"

"And those who claim to have seen them always remark on their exquisite beauty," added Franco. He followed with a wink.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Franco smiled again.

Link cleared his throat. "I'm her father, Link Lykos. You may have heard of me."

"Ah, yes, the Hero of our era! It's an honor to meet you," Franco said, adding a little bow.

"Pleased to meet you as well. You know, I was just about to tell my wonderful daughter here the story of how the Bulbins used to have a King. _Used to,_ until I knocked him off a bridge." Link looked intently at Franco, who froze in place briefly.

A short awkward silence followed.

"So, uh, Franco, you're a new member of the Movement's Castle Town branch?" Link asked, sounding more like an interrogator than someone trying to make pleasant conversation.

"That's right. I heard through friends that the Movement was hoping to recruit more people in the city, in the wake of all these recent disasters, and Telma just finished getting us acquainted with everything going on so far," answered Franco.

Telma joined them at the bar, carrying a stack of papers in her arms. She set them down not too far from where Link sat. "You're coming tomorrow, right?" she asked Franco.

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it," answered Franco. He turned back to Ketura. "I'm sure you know all about what's happening in the city right now. Almost everyone's water has been mysteriously contaminated, the Cucco flu is going around, and on top of all that there's hardly any medicine for it. We're going to help get clean water to people to begin with, and then maybe find medicine in other parts of Hyrule to bring here. I, uh, imagine that parts of it will be tough and risky work. I might even get into some scuffles with soldiers –"

"No you won't." Telma cut him off. "Scuffling with soldiers is _his_ job," she added, nodding to Link.

"Of course. I'll leave that to the experts, ah …." Franco glanced down at his feet, keeping his face down to try and hide some of the redness that flushed his cheeks. A couple of seconds later, he looked up at Ketura. "So, you're involved with the Movement too?"

"Kind of. I live here – well, not _here_ here but more up in the flat with Telma – and I just kind of help her out from time to time. I don't do anything too dangerous," she answered, noticing how intently he looked at her and how he inched slightly closer to her.

"So that means I'll be seeing you around a lot, then?" asked Franco.

She blanked. "Uh, yeah."

Behind her, Link kept eyeing Franco, not blinking.

"Good." Franco said, smiling again. "Well, I need to go. Hour 'til midnight and all. See you later, Ketura." With that, he turned and made his way to the front door. Before disappearing on the other side of it, he turned his head and gave Ketura one last look.

Ketura turned back to her father, noted the ponderous look on his face, and said "Well, I guess he's friendly."

Link sighed. Telma rolled her eyes. Midna emerged from Link's shadow and sat herself on the edge of the bar.

"Ooh, Ketura's got a boyfriend!" Midna said teasingly.

"Eh, he's not really my type," said Ketura dismissively.

"I hope that kid realizes that he's got to prove himself. Not just talk like a big shot." Link added, sighing again. "Never thought I'd have to deal with this," he murmured.

"Deal with what?" Ketura asked.

"Boys," moaned Link.

Ketura shook her head. "No you don't," she reassured him, thinking that Link would only have cause for worry if Franco was a girl.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes. Telma shuffled through her stack of papers, and while Ketura scarfed down the last of her beef she listened to Link and Midna talk about a cave deep in a passage in northern Lanayru Province. Link said something about Zant, and that caught her attention.

"Zant? What about him?" she asked eagerly.

"We're looking for his means of traveling between our world and the Twilight Realm," explained Link.

"The original passageway was the Mirror of Twilight, but I destroyed it," said Midna, "but I'm guessing that he used fragments of the Mirror along with his own magic power to make another one."

"Don't you remember what it looks like or where it is? I mean, that's how you got from there to here, isn't it?" inquired Ketura.

Midna shook her head. "I don't. He showed up, swiftly took me out, and I woke up like _this_ -" she looked down at the rest of her small body "-and in a small cage."

"Oh."

"We need to get to the Twilight Realm," continued Midna. "I really need a greater source of magic power, something like the Fused Shadow."

"Once we have that, we're going to set a trap for him. Us two, Impa, and a few people she selects. She suggested involving everyone, but there's no need to risk more lives than we have to," said Link.

"And then you'll get him?"

"Then we'll get him."

So her father did have a plan after all. The news filled her with both relief and apprehension. "How close are you to finding it?"

Link and Midna glanced at one another. "It's not going that well, unfortunately. We've been looking the past few weeks, with almost no clues to go off of."

"Well, can I help?" Ketura offered. She didn't have any idea about how to proceed, and she didn't know if she would have an idea even if Link told her everything he knew so far, but she at least wanted to try.

"I wish you could," said Link, "but it's still very dangerous for you to be out in the open, especially around me."

"Okay," replied Ketura, her mood falling slightly.

Link stood up, and Midna rose up so that she floated in the air just inches from the top of the bar. "We'll be back in a few days to check in," said Link. He stepped a little closer to Ketura, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close so that her face rested on his chest. She hugged him back, as tight as she could.

When her father and Midna had left, she glanced up at the clock. Midnight was forty-five minutes away, and she had places to go of her own.

* * *

After three grueling hours of training that left her certain that she would have splendid soreness and bruises in the morning, Ketura gently lowered herself down to sit in front of the campfire, and even that was a chore with her aching shoulders and feet. Her right side also hurt furiously, from where she had been hit in the ribs by a small magic attack.

"You should be able to run several laps around the city now," said Ganondorf jokingly as he sat down next to her.

"Shut up," she grumbled. "That was a cheap shot you took. My side still hurts."

"That was repayment for the cheap shot you took at me," he countered.

Ketura sighed, wishing she had an equally witty comeback. "Nothing some potions and a hot bath can't fix," she said instead.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. It's been too long since I've bathed in something other than a cold river," said Ganondorf.

"There are hot springs all around the Goron City. And with only about twenty Gorons left you shouldn't have much trouble moving in and out of there," said Ketura.

"Only twenty Gorons left?" Ganondorf sounded surprised.

"Yeah. That's what happens when you force them into slave labor then starve and mistreat them," said Ketura. She glanced over her shoulder to have a look at the Tower of the Gods' dark silhouette. "I guess it's a more effective method of genocide than cutting off their food supply or trying to feed them all to a dragon," she added, her tone pointed.

"Open defiance and assassination attempts have their consequences," scoffed Ganondorf. "And I only punished the ones responsible, and it just happened that most of them were involved somehow."

"Yeah … and then how do you feel about the Zelda of that time lashing out against all of the Gerudo just because you and your followers caused trouble for her? That's basically the same thing, isn't it?"

"No it is not. The Nohansens had been looking for excuses to exterminate us for a long time. Do not confuse prejudice and hatred with punishing crimes."

Ketura didn't respond, knowing that she couldn't change his mind on the subject.

"Why were the Gorons forced into slave labor anyway?" asked Ganondorf.

She shook her head. "I don't know. The official story that Zelda told us was that they had lived in isolation for too long, and if they were going to dwell in Hyrule they needed to contribute to its betterment. Now, though, I think it might have been Zant devising a way to torment them since they weren't Hylian yet members of this world. Same with the Zoras, I guess. Zelda wanted total control of the Zora River, so they were forced to leave."

"And they were put in that prison camp," said Ganondorf.

"We were all told they were going to live in a different river." Talking about the Zoras made her remember the empty bottles in her bag. She pulled them out and one by one scooped snow into the bottles until they were so full she could barely reinsert the cork.

"What are you doing?" asked Ganondorf, looking perplexed.

"There's no clean water in Castle Town," Ketura informed him. "I'm going to melt this snow and boil it, so we can drink it and cook with it."

"Ah, I see. What happened to the water?"

"We don't know."

Both were quiet for a few moments. Ketura thought about all of the dead Gorons she saw marched through Kakariko Village and up the mountain pass, and the prison camp where the Zoras lived, and her own father's time in prison, and how people were turned into shadow beasts – the man bleeding out in the snow filled her mind's eye – and the fires, and the contaminated water, and the Cucco flu going around.

"How many years did you spend exiled in the Twilight Realm again?" she asked suddenly.

"Hmm … to tell you the truth, I lost track after two hundred and eight," said Ganondorf. "Why do you ask?"

"So you've been there long enough to know all about the Twili people, and their strengths and weaknesses, and the extent of their magic powers, and how to make those powers stronger and weaker?"

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. "Is this about Midna?"

"No! No. I mean … well … she and my dad are trying to figure out how Zant travels from here to there, and they want to find anything that can help in the fight against him." Ketura instantly regretted sharing that with him.

"I know nothing." Ganondorf said shortly. "And even if I did and I told you and you shared that information with them, what would you say about how you learned it?"

"That I read about it," said Ketura instantly.

"Are there books in Hyrule about the Twili people?"

"No …" said Ketura. She sighed. "It's just – I don't know – they're off doing that and everyone else is running around freeing villages from occupation, and it feels like I'm not doing anything except waiting."

"Sometimes waiting is the best course of action to take in a given situation," Ganondorf responded.

"People are dying, though!"

"People die every day. That is no cause for alarm."

Ketura sighed again. She finished scooping snow into her bottles, mindful of how Ganondorf watched her curiously. She knew that he would be callous towards the needs of others, and fully expected it, but what he said still struck a nerve with her.

"How much longer, then?" she asked him.

"Hopefully not too long. The army I'm raising should be ready in a little more than a fortnight."

She shook her head. "Well if you think that it'll take a whole army to fight Zant-"

"-No, just us against him."

"Okay," said Ketura as she picked up her lantern. "So that means the army-"

"The army will be used to ensure the downfall of the Royal Family, we have been over this already," said Ganondorf testily.

"Right," murmured Ketura. "So … maybe you should let Impa know about it? I mean, I can tell her next time she's in town-"

"How would you tell her that you know about it?" Ganondorf asked abruptly.

Ketura hesitated to answer, letting out an "Uh …." Before she could say anything, Ganondorf spoke again.

"That would involve telling her about your association with me, and I have the impression that you want to keep that a secret for as long as possible. If she finds out, then so will your father …. Fear not, for Impa will know about the force I have assembled when the time is right."

She wanted to roll her eyes. _When the time is right_ \- she wanted to know why things had to happen on his schedule, and the fact that he even had a schedule and a plan worried her somewhat. She again suspected that the army wasn't for Impa's use, but she knew that if she outright asked him he would avoid the question somehow.

"Well, if we're done for the night, I should start heading back."

"No, don't go yet. I have something for you," said Ganondorf. He gestured to a bundle perched on the bottom of a set of stairs. Ketura went over to the bundle, picked it up and unfolded it, and saw it was a black leather jacket, lined with fleece.

"This is nice," she said as she looked it over and felt the plushy softness of the fleece. She instantly felt warmer when she put it on; much to her surprise, it fit her perfectly. "Thanks."

"Made by a skilled craftswoman in the Cult of Dragmire. Nights can be brutally cold in the desert," Ganondorf said, his tone rather pointed.

Ketura shot him a knowing look. She fully expected him to claim to not mean anything by that remark.

"Believe it or not, you would have access to clean water," he added. "Watching you scoop snow into those bottles … quite frankly it saddened me. That is no way to survive."

"Everyone else in Castle Town is doing it," said Ketura, suddenly becoming aware of her mild thirst. Picking up a handful of snow and shoveling it in her mouth was tempting, but to do it in front of Ganondorf would result in more snide comments that she did not want to hear.

"Ah yes, the poor despondent citizens of Castle Town. Tell me, are you going to singlehandedly solve all of their woes? Is that why you want to stay here so much?"

"Well, I mean I'd like to help but I don't know how-"

"If you came back to me I could help you help them," said Ganondorf persuasively.

"I think I'll wait to accept your help until the details of _how_ you'll make that happen become a little clearer," Ketura shot back.

"So is that it? You are just punishing me because I don't do every little thing you ask of me?"

"No. I don't like that you're keeping things from me, and because of that I have a hard time trusting you and it makes me think you're up to no good."

A long pause.

"Have I ever given you reason- no, _concrete proof_ that I am scheming to do something you would disapprove of?" asked Ganondorf calmly.

"Um …." Ketura hesitated.

"I have not. But I will promise you that I want to bring Hyrule to greatness, to make it a land of prosperity and justice for all. Everything I do, I do with that goal in mind. And I would like for you to accompany me back to the desert, so that I have someone by my side whom I admire and wholeheartedly trust."

For a split second, Ketura considered what it would be like to go back to the Gerudo Desert with him. There was a chance she could figure out more of what he was up to … but then she remembered her father, and Midna, and Telma, and that she didn't want to inadvertently be sucked into something nefarious.

"Tell me _everything_ going on in your head, and I will consider it," she said.

"I want to soak in those hot springs in the Goron City, I want to feast on slow-roasted and well-seasoned boar meat, and I want to enjoy the company of three women at the same time without running out of stamina," Ganondorf said, finishing with a smirk.

"Ugh, I'm going!" Ketura exclaimed, flustered. She was halfway up the stairs when Ganondorf spoke again.

"I hate hearing you say no, and I hate it every time you leave."

Without saying another word, or turning back to look at him, Ketura resumed her climb up the stairs.

* * *

Ketura spent the next four days practicing during any spare moment she could find, brewing small batches of Red and Green potions, staring at a wall wondering where her father was and what he was doing, or wiling away the minutes until it was time to go out to meet Ganondorf. On those nights he did not mention anything about her leaving Castle Town in favor of the desert; in fact, he didn't talk to her at all except to give critiques of her technique or stance or ability to aim at moving targets. That almost-silent treatment was bearable, but she once again found herself contemplating what it would be like to take off; at Telma's she may have had plenty of food and a warm place to sleep, but there was no clean water and she felt useless being cooped up in the flat all day. At least going to the desert had the potential of being eventful and giving her some purpose: she could be useful and appreciated, rather than a burden whose only job was to let other people protect her.

The source of the city's water contamination had still not been found, the Cucco flu epidemic got so bad that Telma closed the bar indefinitely to hopefully prevent it from spreading further, and she didn't want to think of how many people had died from drinking bad water while being sick – or avoiding drinking water while being sick and waiting to see if dehydration or illness would kill first. Ketura remembered when she had the Cucco flu: alternating between high fever and intense chills, the aches and pains, the sore throat and relentless cough, the occasional episode of vomiting. There were people in Castle Town experiencing those symptoms, perhaps worse off than she was, and dying from them just like her mother had. And she sat holed away, safe, where the disease couldn't touch her, and not doing anything to help them.

From that train of thought, her mind wandered frantically, trying to push the guilt out. It was no use feeling bad about things she couldn't control, after all. That's what Ganondorf would tell her, and that's basically what he told her the night she gave him the Growth Potion-

An idea popped into her head.

* * *

The members of the Liberation Movement had secured clean water from Lake Hylia and the Zora River, and brought it to Telma's by the barrelful. While most of it was taken out into the city to distribute it to people in need, Telma kept one barrel in the bar. Ketura used some of it to brew some Red Potion – and then some more to make a large amount of potato and vegetable soup, and when she finished the barrel of water was still two-thirds of the way full.

"Are you planning to eat all of that soup?" Telma asked, standing nearby and watching as Ketura stirred some salt into the soup, which simmered in an enormous cauldron suspended over a large fire in the bar kitchen's fireplace.

"No, it's not for me," Ketura said as she wiped some sweat from her brow. "My mom would make this soup for me anytime I was sick, and it made me feel better. Maybe it could help all the sick people in Castle Town." At her feet sat a small box full of utensils of all types and sizes. She grabbed a small wooden spoon and used it to scoop up a small amount of soup so she could taste it. The salt was now at just the right level, and the flavor was just right: savory enough to not be bland or overwhelm the taste buds.

"It's almost ready. I can put it all in bottles and jars and we can pass them out," suggested Ketura.

Telma nodded and smiled slightly. "I'll go get all the clean jars and bottles I can find."

Once Telma had turned and walked to a cabinet on the wall, her back turned to the fireplace, Ketura pulled a vial of Red Potion out of her pocket and unloaded the contents into the soup. She stowed the vial and stirred vigorously, watching the crimson liquid blend into the clear golden broth, turning the soup opaque and adding a slight orange tinge to its coloration. Her next taste test indicated that there was no noticeable difference in flavor, but a surge of energy coursed through her veins, and she felt like she could run to Hyrule Castle and back in only thirty seconds without anyone seeing her. Deciding that the soup was good and ready, she threw just enough water onto the fire to extinguish it.

By the time the soup had cooled down enough to be bottled, it was ten o'clock at night. Ketura and Telma met some of the Castle Town rebels (including Franco) at the front of the bar, giving each person a half dozen servings to hand out as well as one for themselves.

"This is a great thing you're doing here, Ketura," Franco said to her as he stowed the last of his bottles into his messenger bag. He pulled a thick wool cap tight onto his head and flashed her another smile.

"Thanks," she said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Telma glance at the two of them, and then go back to talking to a middle-aged woman with two bags full of bottles.

"I mean, this will probably be the only decent meal people will have had in days. The water situation makes it hard to cook, after all. Say, do you want to come hand out soup with me?"

"Oh- uh, well … Telma probably doesn't want me leaving the bar and bringing the flu back with me," responded Ketura swiftly. The truth was that she didn't know if going with Franco would make her late for her midnight appointment.

"So you never leave the bar?" Franco seemed shocked.

"Not often. I haven't been out on the street in a couple of weeks. How are things out there, anyway?"

"Same as always, except nearly everywhere you go people are coughing and sneezing on each other and eating snow to quench their thirst, and every morning someone goes through my neighborhood with a cart full of corpses telling people to bring him their dead."

"That's awful!" Ketura's heart sank.

"Yeah … I seriously want to send a big fat broomstick to Princess Zelda as a wedding gift, with detailed instructions on what she can do with it. Her marriage can wait. How can you know all of this is happening and not do anything about it?"

"Franco, you better go now if you want to be home by curfew." Telma said suddenly.

"Sure, of course." Franco nodded to Telma and then turned back to Ketura. "See you later, I guess." He flashed a smile at her and then exited with the others. Ketura stared at the door for a moment, imagining a man pulling a cart of dead bodies down the street and people throwing more bodies onto it. Those bodies would probably go to a mass grave instead of being buried by their families ….

"I agree with Franco about Princess Zelda and the broomstick, though," remarked Telma.

"Yeah," said Ketura passively, although she had no clue what the connection was between the Princess and the broomstick. "When is the wedding again?"

"Despite the calamities in Castle Town, it is still scheduled to take place tomorrow. Privately, of course, since the Cucco flu isn't invited, and I'm sure the public celebration will occur once the city is disease-free," said Telma.

"I'm sure Lady Arianne and all the other rich people aren't even bothered. They probably just take some medicine and go on with their lives," added Ketura.

"Oh I'm sure of it," said Telma. "But if I asked Arianne for more money to buy ingredients for your soup, she would give it to me. How do you feel about spending all of tomorrow cooking?"

"Sure, no problem, but I'll probably use up the rest of our barrel of water," said Ketura.

"That's fine. We can drink snow water."

"I'll make sure to get some more when I go out."

* * *

The first thing Ketura did when she emerged from the tunnel into Hyrule Field was scoop snow into the empty bottles she kept in her bag. Once that was done, she stood back up, wiped snow off her knees, and let her lantern light the way to her destination.

Halfway there, she heard something running at her. She stopped and turned around. Her lantern's light didn't show anything at first, but the soft sounds of paws dashing across the snow drew closer and closer until a familiar brown wolf came into view.

Link transformed back into a human once he stood in front of his daughter. "Ketura, what are you doing?!"


	31. Thirty

**THIRTY**

"Oh, Dad … hi." Ketura said calmly, although her voice went a little higher. Her gut feeling told her that she would be in some sort of trouble.

"Why are you out in Hyrule Field in the middle of the night?" Link asked her, his voice making his disapproval clear.

"I'm just going for a quick walk," said Ketura, nervousness and dread rising inside of her, thinking that there was probably no way she could get away to meet with Ganondorf, and wondering if he was nearby and secretly watching the scene between her and her father.

"What? Does Telma know where you are?"

"Yeah. She knows and she's fine with it."

Link, irritated, let out a short huffy sigh. "You shouldn't be out here, Ketura, or outside the bar at all! It's too dangerous. What if something happened, or if Zant got you?"

"Well he hasn't, and nothing's happened!" Ketura retorted. "I know you want me to be safe, but I get tired of being cooped up in one space for too long. You of all people should understand that, Dad."

No immediate response. Link looked at her, and in his eyes she saw fear, disappointment, confusion, and worry. She thought of ways he might try to ground her, and once again she pondered the likelihood of Ganondorf being nearby.

"Ketura … I regret that we first came together during these times of trouble. I really want to be present more than I am – more than I _have_ been – and I want you to have freedom and opportunities. But now is just not the time for any of that. So … please. Just do what I ask you to do and keep yourself safe. For me."

She looked down at her feet and gave him a small nod. "Sure Dad. I'm sorry." She thought of how she would need to be more careful to only go out when he wasn't in or near Castle Town … but what if he asked Telma to not let her go out anymore?

"Thank you, darling." Link stepped closer to her, put an arm around her shoulder, and guided her along towards the tree that marked the entrance to the secret tunnels back to Telma's.

"I don't even understand _why_ you'd want to go for a walk in the field in the middle of the night. It's so cold … and with all of these monsters moving around recently-"

"What monsters?" Ketura asked abruptly.

"I was on my way to Telma's to share a report of more Lizalfos packs going through Eldin Field, and a large group of Moblins being spotted just south of Lake Hylia. I think something's happening, but I don't know for sure and Zant needs to be the priority right now."

Both of them were quiet for the next couple of minutes as they kept walking to the tree. Ketura held her lantern out to light the way, and she glanced around her surroundings, only to see the usual trees and cliffs and snow at her feet. Link suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, grabbing onto Ketura so she stopped with him. His eyes darted around, alert and tense, and then he drew the Master Sword.

"I heard something," he said in a barely audible whisper. "Get behind me."

She obeyed and stood directly behind him as he held his arms out protectively. Link may have heard something or someone approaching, but she had not heard or much less seen anything. Perhaps he thought it was an approaching monster … or Zant … but definitely not the person who actually appeared from the darkness into the light of her lantern. She didn't expect Ganondorf to reveal himself to her father, yet there he stood just yards away from them. Her stomach tied itself into knots.

"Ketura, go. Now." Link whispered to her. All Ketura could do was stand frozen in place, glancing between the two men, willing to give her right arm if it meant Ganondorf didn't say anything to Link about her.

"Hello, Link. It's been a while," said Ganondorf with mock congeniality.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"I am here to –" Ganondorf paused. "Actually, no, it is none of your business what I am doing here. But I do not mean either of you any harm."

Link pointed the Master Sword at Ganondorf. Ketura's eyes lingered on Ganondorf for a split second longer before she looked back to her father.

"Perhaps you could answer a question for me, Link. One that has been burning on my mind ever since we first met: why do you hate me so much? I don't recall ever doing anything to _you_ specifically."

Instead of answering the question, Link looked over his shoulder to his daughter. "Go now! I'll catch up with you later!" he said hurriedly. Ketura took a couple of steps backwards, not wanting to leave but also not wanting to stay, and she started thinking of what she would say or do if Ganondorf revealed any secrets.

"Have you _ever_ had an independent thought in your life, or ever made a decision that was wholly your own?" Ganondorf continued. "Because from my perspective, it seems that you will just dance for whoever has a hold of your strings. You are such a good little puppet!"

"Shut up!" Link snarled, and Ganondorf laughed in response. Ketura took a cautious step backwards, and the instant her foot made contact with the ground again Link looked over his shoulder and said "I told you to go!"

"I- I don't want to leave you alone," she said.

"It'll be all right, I promise," said Link.

"Or we could both just go back now, and nobody gets hurt, and-"

"Go on, be a good girl," Ganondorf interjected, "do as your father tells you. He knows best, after all."

"Don't you dare speak to her!" Link hissed. "Ketura if you don't leave now, I will have Midna take you back. Go!"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ketura walked backwards, putting more distance between herself and her father, until she finally turned her back and walked briskly towards the entrance to the tunnels. Once she thought of herself as being a decent distance away, she glanced over her shoulder to see Link circling Ganondorf, brandishing the Master Sword. She couldn't hear either of them speaking; Link probably wasn't, because otherwise he would be shouting, and she made herself jittery with nerves as she tried to imagine what Ganondorf could be saying. Surely he wouldn't tell Link about her and him – why would he? She didn't think he would have anything to gain from doing so – maybe he just wanted to taunt Link, give him a hard time, because if he did hurt her father she would never forgive him.

Ketura ducked behind a tree once she was at the halfway point and extinguished her lantern. She watched the two men, her heart pounding furiously and her breath caught in her chest, waiting for what felt like an eternity for something to happen. Maybe she should have done something earlier, she thought, like trying harder to control the situation, somehow communicate to Ganondorf to keep his mouth shut-

Her thought process was abruptly interrupted when she heard the musical-sounding _whooshes_ that accompanied Twili teleportation magic. Or at least she thought she heard it. To be sure, she looked to her sides and then turned around to look behind her. She jumped, gasped, and then froze on the spot when she saw him just a few feet in front of her.

 _"Shhhh..."_

Zant swiftly came forward, bridging the gap between himself and Ketura. He held a slender finger up to the mouth of his helmet. "I knew I would find you, Ketura- more specifically, I found your father. Shall we go see him?" His tone was low, spine-tingling and chilling, and threatening.

Ketura opened her mouth. She planned to shout as loud as she could to draw attention to herself – but Zant swiftly gripped the back of her head with one hand and used the other hand to press his finger to her lips.

"Like I said, _shhh_ ," crooned Zant.

She stared blankly at him, perturbed by the smooth cold fingers holding her in place, the sound of her pounding heartbeat filling her ears and ringing throughout her entire body. There was no way she would just quietly go with Zant and be used as bait to get her father to surrender, and she didn't have to. Even if the sight of that helmet or grotesque imaginings of what was underneath it had haunted her dreams, she did not find herself stricken with fear at the sight of him. Her father was nearby, as was Ganondorf, and she doubted that Zant could win a three-versus-one match.

"Let's go," said Zant softly as he released his grasp on her. Immediately Ketura took a step away from him and looked towards her father.

"DAD!" she cried loudly. Up ahead, she saw Link turn away from Ganondorf, watched as his expression turned from frustration to fear, and he charged right towards her, Master Sword held high in preparation to strike. Ganondorf, meanwhile, did not move, but his eyes found her and Zant.

She felt something blunt strike her shoulder and send her flying to the side, and she slammed onto the ground. "I said to be quiet!" howled Zant. Used to the pain that resulted from being thrown down, Ketura swiftly pushed herself up just in time to roll over and dodge a glowing red blob that Zant had shot at her. Zant shot more red blobs at her as she jumped to her feet, and as a last attack flew towards her she held out her hands and moved them in a swift circular motion to redirect it right back at him. The redirected attack missed Zant's head by a couple of inches, crashing into a tree branch and sending it falling onto the ground.

"KETURA!" Link shouted as he ran towards her and Zant, Master Sword held high in preparation to attack. She looked to see him coming, keeping her eyes off Zant just a second too long because when she heard the _whoosh_ of an incoming red blob it was too late for her to do anything about it. Next thing she knew, all she saw was an explosion of red as a fiery pain beat on her chest. She fell back to the ground, the snow providing as much of a cushion as it could for the back of her head. After laying still for a brief moment, gasping for air as her heart and lungs burned and her head swam, she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

Before her she saw Zant hovering a few feet in the air, opposite of Link, and the two were bouncing one of those sinister red blobs back and forth between them. Link would strike swiftly with his sword to send the blob to Zant, and Zant would send it back with a swipe of his arm, as if he were slapping it. Back and forth and back and forth, as each man waited for the other to stumble or be a split second too slow.

Ketura pushed herself to her feet, stumbling and swaying once she was standing, and looked from her father to Zant. She shook out her right arm and then thrust it forward, shooting a bolt of red right at Zant and hitting him in the side of the head. Right before being struck, Zant had swatted the red blob back at Link, and Ketura's attack didn't move him. Rather, he turned his head slightly to see where the source of the other attack had been, and right as he faced Ketura the red blob came bouncing back from Link and hit his collarbone. Zant cried out in pain and doubled over, falling to the ground and resting on his knees.

While Zant was down, Ketura moved towards Link, and Link sprinted to her. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, although her chest still ached. She glanced over his shoulder to see that Zant was still down.

"Good … you've been practicing that magic on your own, haven't you?" asked Link.

"That's right. Never thought it'd come in so handy, you know?" It then occurred to Ketura that Ganondorf was nowhere to be seen. It wouldn't make sense for him to have just slunk away when Zant made an appearance ….

"You still need to go back. Get out of here and keep yourself safe, all right?" Link said. He looked over his shoulder, to the spot where Zant had fallen- only Zant was no longer there. Upon seeing that, he turned in a rapid circle to scan the area. Midna emerged from Link's shadow and did the same, and Ketura also followed suit. She paused when she spotted something in a tree glint in the moonlight, and she kept watching that spot as swirls of red and purple magic grew larger around themselves, forming into a giant sphere. Up in that tree, she heard Zant's cackle, and the sphere he formed flew from the tree right at her. She immediately raised Nayru's Love around herself, Link, and Midna.

"Ketura, wha-" Link began, but he stopped right as the sphere crashed into the crystalline blue shield. On the outside, bursts and sparks of color and magic exploded from the impact point, flying in every direction, ricocheting off the shield. On the inside, Ketura felt the force of the impact shake from her hands and arms down through the rest of her body.

"Is he up in that tree?" Midna asked.

"Yeah," said Ketura, digging her heels into the ground to further brace herself as Zant shot a volley of attacks at them. Each one exploded and burst into showers of brightly-colored lights, and the last couple of attacks sent small shards of blue crystals flying away from the shielding. Ketura felt the drain on her energy with every impact, and she found herself wishing she brought a Green Potion.

"Dad, I won't be able to hold this much longer," she said, looking over her shoulder towards him and Midna. Link held the Master Sword across his body defensively, his eyes communicating the apprehension he felt.

"Then I'll take you away," said Midna. She looked over to Link, who nodded in affirmation.

"You'll be okay, then?" asked Ketura.

"I'll be fine," said Link.

Ketura nodded. In her peripheral vision, she saw Zant charge up another giant sphere, and she suspected that this attack would be the one to break her shield. When Zant released the sphere, Ketura braced herself and watched it come closer and closer, until the time came for her to push forward just enough so that instead of breaking on the surface, Zant's attack bounced off and flew back towards him. Even with the bounce-back, Nayru's Love still broke, the shield cracking and shattering at the point of impact. She lowered her hands, allowing the shield to dissipate, and saw the explosion of magical energy that broke off the top half of the tree and sent it falling down to the ground.

She turned to face Link, and as soon as her eyes found his she felt herself floating. Black square particles surrounded her, she felt her body compressing on itself, and the world spun around her. She saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing … until she touched down again on plush carpet, felt the warmth and light of a dying fire in a fireplace, and recognized the space as Telma's flat.

"Midna?" Just as Ketura called out for her, she heard the _whoosh_ of teleportation, which told her she was alone.

Feeling slightly lightheaded, she sat down on the couch and cradled her head in her hands as she waited for the sensation to pass. Meanwhile, she hoped that Midna would return soon with her father, with news that Zant had been defeated for good. As for Ganondorf … she would have to figure that out later. Right then, all that mattered to her was Link coming back unharmed and in one piece.

Once the lightheadedness passed, Ketura got off the couch and down on the floor, reaching under the couch for the bag where she kept all the things Ganondorf had brought her. In the dying firelight, she dug through the bag and found a bottle of Green Potion. She drank the potion, which sent magical energy surging through her veins. Swiftly counting her potions, she saw that she had only one Red Potion and Green Potion left. She would need to make more, especially if Link would need a Red Potion after returning from fighting Zant.

Maybe she could take her potions and go back out to the field, she thought. Link wouldn't want her there- he would probably just have Midna take her back to the flat. Still, it would be better than waiting for him to return. Waiting was torment for her, not knowing when or even _if_ he would come back, and what kind of state he would be in when he did return. He would be fine, she told herself. He had done this before, fighting Zant … but that had been many years ago, before he spent years wasting away in prison and Zant spent that time only growing stronger. He would be okay. He _had_ to be okay. He would come back.

After what felt like an eternity, Midna reappeared in a flurry of black squares and particles. Ketura looked up when she heard the musical sounding magic and _whoosh_ of teleportation, but her heart sank when she saw that Midna had come alone. What lowered her spirits even further was the look of apprehension and distress on Midna's face.

"Where's Dad?" Ketura asked, trembling, not wanting to hear an answer.

Midna shook her head.

"He- he's gone."

"What?" Ketura sprang to her feet and ran for the door, sending it flying open as she bounded down the stairs to the bar's kitchen.

"Ketura- wait-" Midna followed behind Ketura, but didn't do anything to stop her as she went inside the kitchen's large pantry and down into the tunnels. The second Ketura's feet hit the ground inside the tunnel she quickly shouted the password and kept running forward, even as the tunnel's traps receded around her.

"Ketura!" Midna finally floated around Ketura to hover directly in front of her face. "What are you doing? I told you. He's not there, and neither is Zant!"

"Then we need to get him back!" Ketura exclaimed. She stepped around Midna and continued on until she emerged in the field outside of Castle Town.

Up ahead, she saw the remnants of the fight that had taken place. Trees had fallen, broken and splintered just above the base, and some of them still smoked and glowed with embers. Rocks had crumbled and tumbled down a nearby cliff face and formed a messy pile on the ground. Footprints and skid marks littered the snow. Ketura walked around, Midna alongside her, as she surveyed the scene for anything that might be of use. Her foot struck something hard and metal: her lantern. She picked it up and lit it with Din's Fire, ignoring the curious look Midna gave her. Not too far from where she stood, she saw drops of red on the snow, and when she looked down at it, she noticed that it was fresh blood.

Panic struck her, and she turned in circle after circle, until the light of her lantern reflected off of something just a few yards away. It was the Master Sword, laying in the snow, its sheath lying next to it. She went to it, picked it up, and sheathed it.

When Ketura turned around, she saw a tall figure up ahead, just out of reach of her lantern's light. The figure drew closer, and she held her breath, but exhaled when she saw that it was Ganondorf. Anger suddenly rose in her; she wanted to know where he had been during the fight, and what his excuse was, and why he would just let whatever happened to Link happen, and why he wouldn't even pitch in to help defend _her_ , the person who was supposedly so important to him.

Instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat, took a deep breath, and asked "What happened?"


	32. Thirty-One

**THIRTY-ONE**

"And where did you go, anyway? He attacked me, and you just disappear?!" Ketura couldn't keep her frustration with him bottled up.

Ganondorf closed the distance between himself and Ketura. Midna did not budge from Ketura's side, although she kept a watchful eye on him.

"Show me your hands," said Ganondorf briskly.

"What?"

"Your _hands_ , Ketura. Let me see them."

That was not the time for him to be cryptic and be preoccupied by something completely unrelated to their current situation, she thought irritably. Regardless, she put down her lantern and the Master Sword and held her hands up for him to see. "Okay, here are my hands," she said as she rotated her wrists so he could get a good look at both the back of her hands and her palms. "They're still attached to my arms, and they're not broken or bleeding. They're the same as they always are. Now can you tell me why you skulked off when your help was needed, and where my dad is?"

"You did not need my help," said Ganondorf simply.

"Yes I did! How can you say that?"

"You did not need me, because your incredibly valiant, self-sacrificial, noble creature of a father was there to protect you. You had him, and you made it clear earlier where your true loyalties lie."

"So you're _mad at me_? That's what this is about?!"

"Ket-" Midna tried to speak, but was ignored.

"I never said I was angry with you." Ganondorf paused, and spoke again just as Midna tried to say something that only came out as "Umm."

"The truth is ... I was waiting to make sure you were out of harm's way. You did well, but once you ran out of energy you were sure to be a liability if you remained in the fray. So I then joined in, but Zant took him."

She scoffed. "And you just _let_ him?! Please tell me you were overpowered or something-"

Ganondorf pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, expressing his displeasure at the idea of him being overpowered by an enemy. "He told that he would be waiting for you - for _us -_ at Hyrule Castle," he said.

Ketura looked from him to Hyrule Castle, letting her gaze linger there for a few seconds. She turned back to Ganondorf and said "Then let's go!"

"No."

"No?" His response stunned her. "Why not?"

"It is not time yet," said Ganondorf.

"What the hell do you mean it isn't time? My father is being held prisoner and is probably being tortured and murdered _right now_ , and you say it isn't the time?! I don't care if you think I'm not yet at the skill level I need to be, or whatever dumb excuse you're about to cook up. Now is the time! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"I understand your impatience, Ketura, but things would work out for the best if we wait and stick with the plan we discussed-"

"Wait, hold on." Midna interrupted. She floated forward and faced Ketura. "What plan? When did you discuss plans with him? And what do you mean, he's supposed to be 'on your side?' This entire conversation is confusing and worrying me. What's going on here?"

Ketura's jaw dropped.

"Plans for us to confront Zant, of course," answered Ganondorf. "Ketura and I have been working towards that for some time now."

"Wha-" Midna's facial expression was one of pure shock. Dumbfounded, she looked from Ganondorf to Ketura, letting her eyes grow wide and her mouth gape open and her lips tremble as she tried to find words to say. Ketura shrunk back slightly, breaking eye contact from Midna, and expecting a full verbal lashing.

"I- wha- you-" Midna stuttered as she looked back to Ganondorf. "You're lying," she said desperately.

Ketura sighed. "No, he's telling the truth," she said softly.

Midna sighed as well, loud and exasperated, as she clasped a hand to her forehead.

"I'm just trying to help, and –" Ketura began, but Midna cut her off.

"How? HOW is this helping? I can't believe this, Ketura. I just can't. Please tell me you're under some kind of enchantment –"

"Yes, because nobody _ever_ comes to me of their own free will," said Ganondorf sarcastically.

"Well why would she? What in the world do _you_ have to offer her?" Midna half-shouted at him.

"Things that she wants that nobody else can give her. She _chose_ to come to me, repeatedly, for weeks now!"

"And I bet you've really enjoyed that," Midna fired back, "getting the daughter of your killer under your thumb. Well it's over. I don't want or need to know what's been going on, because it ends _now._ " She turned back to Ketura. "Come on. We're going back _now_ , and once we save your father we're all going to have a long conversation."

All Ketura could do was look blankly at Midna, whose eyes burned with fury. She figured that she would be grounded for the rest of her life, and Link probably wouldn't love her anymore. Even if she lost her father's love and was somehow severely punished, all she wanted to do was get him back. Maybe if she saved him and defeated Zant using her magical prowess, all would be forgiven.

"Come on. Back to the tunnel." Midna pointed in the direction of the entrance to the tunnel. Ketura glanced over to Ganondorf before turning around, but after she took a step, she paused upon hearing him speak.

"You would be a fool to go on your own, Ketura, or even if you only had Midna as a companion. I am willing to go with you to Hyrule Castle, to face Zant and rescue your father."

Ketura slowly turned around and looked at him, surprised to hear him say those words.

"Really?" she said apprehensively.

"If you promise to stay by my side, every day, at all times, for the rest of your life."

Of course there would be some strings attached, thought Ketura. She was on the way to working out the pros and cons of his terms, when Midna spoke up abruptly.

"You can't be serious. That isn't happening."

"Did I ask for your input, Midna?"

"Well you got it anyway! Go jump in Lake Hylia." With that, Midna floated forward, paused, and looked back expectantly at Ketura. Ketura walked on to meet Midna, not bothering to look back at Ganondorf, and the two made their way back to the tunnel's entrance.

The rest of the journey back to the bar passed by in uncomfortable silence. Every now and then, Ketura would look over at Midna, to her with a sulky or disgruntled expression on her face. Midna did, however, murmur something that ended with " take it and shove it up his ass," leaving Ketura to infer that the "it" was either the deal he offered or the Master Sword.

As for the deal, Ketura suspected that ever since she chose to stay in Castle Town full-time he had been trying to figure out a way for her to return to him, and he saw an opportunity. Comments he had made over the past few weeks ran through her head: how he felt she would be safer with him, how they could get more training accomplished, how lonely he was. None of those were ever compelling reasons for her, especially when she was going to return to a safe secluded space with warm food and the chance to see her father from time to time. Yet if Midna hadn't been there and hadn't interceded, Ketura guessed that she would have said yes to him.

* * *

When Ketura and Midna returned to the flat, they found Telma awake, her bathrobe on over her nightgown and a silk scarf wrapped around the top of her head, sitting at the kitchen table with an envelope in front of her and a gem-like turquoise pendant secured to black twine by her right hand.

"You're back early," said Telma, who heard the door open and shut but didn't look up immediately. When she did look up to see Ketura holding the Master Sword with Midna by her side, her face fell into an expression of confusion. "What's going on?"

"Zant has captured Link. We need to tell Impa immediately," said Midna.

"What?" Telma gasped as her right hand pawed blindly for the turquoise stone. She finally grabbed it and held it up to her mouth. She snapped out of her stupor soon enough, as she stroked the stone rhythmically with her thumb until it started glowing brightly.

"Impa? Can you hear me Impa?"

 _"Telma?"_ Impa's voice came through the stone. Ketura looked at it, mesmerized and wondering what it was.

" _Telma, it's late. What is it?"_

"Zant's got Link. Get here now, and bring your best fighters for the rescue mission. Ketura has the Master Sword."

 _"All right. We'll be there in the morning."_ Impa responded. The stone's glow vanished.

"What is that?" asked Ketura.

"Oh, this? It's a Gossip Stone," said Telma. "Lady Arianne gave us a few of hers to use. They were once one of the Royal Family's best-kept secrets, and they're very useful for sending quick messages … you look so stressed out, hon. It'll be all right; they'll free your father like they did last time. Try to get some rest."

Ketura nodded absentmindedly, then made her way to the couch. She blew out the light in her lantern and set it and the Master Sword down on the floor next to the couch, kicked her boots off, and lay down, staring up at the ceiling.

"So Telma," Midna said, "you've known that Ketura has been going out at night?"

"Yes, and I don't mind as long as she stays out of trouble," said Telma.

"Well, do you know _what_ she has been doing?"

A bolt of panic struck Ketura, and she felt like she was going to vomit.

"No, why?" Telma sounded concerned.

Midna sighed. "You're going to love what I'm about to tell you, then."


	33. Thirty-Two

**THIRTY-TWO**

That night seemed like a haze to Ketura: a haze of Telma nonverbally communicating how betrayed and upset she was, of her staring aimlessly at the ceiling, of waiting for Impa and her team to arrive, of Midna opting to go to sleep in the shadow of a kitchen chair rather than anywhere near her, of being a little angry with Ganondorf because he didn't unconditionally offer to help, of worrying about her father to the point of her feeling like she wanted to vomit and cry out all of the fluids in her body. Having her father being gone, of Ganondorf refusing to help, and of Telma and Midna tiptoeing around her made her feel isolated, like she didn't have anyone she could rely on. She knew that wasn't the case, of course – at least right then. When everything was over and settled, she probably would be alone. She didn't see a way for anyone else to want to associate with her again after what happened that night.

Ketura was never consciously aware of falling asleep, but at one point she could have sworn that she was dreaming. Or maybe it wasn't a dream; the scene around her never changed. Maybe it was because she hadn't had a full night's sleep in months, but she thought she heard a disembodied, ethereal voice speak to her. " _It is almost your time … rise up … discover your courage …."_

* * *

Around nine o'clock the following morning, she rose and silently went downstairs, Midna trailing behind her. Telma had evidently been up for some time, given the presence of breakfast food laid out on the big table in the back of the bar. Even if there were fluffy golden pancakes or delicious-smelling sausages, Ketura wasn't hungry. A heaviness had taken up semi-permanent residence in her stomach, and a voice in her head told her that the food was only for people who didn't lie or keep big secrets.

She noticed the food, and then she noticed the people already sitting at the table, eating and quiet except for the sounds of silverware clinking against plates: Impa, Colin, Luda, Talo, Zahrain, Nabira, Levali, and Ashei. None of them spoke to each other, just focusing on eating as quickly as possible, but Impa looked up to Ketura and said "How are you doing?"

"Fine, I guess," answered Ketura.

"Good."

Telma sat at one of the two empty spots at the table, glanced to the remaining empty spot, then looked up at Ketura. Ketura hesitated for a moment, but then went to sit down. Telma then looked away to say something to her siblings. Midna floated over to hover alongside Impa.

Luda sat across the table from Ketura and next to Colin; she looked tired and concerned. "Aren't you going to eat something?" she asked Ketura.

"I'm not hungry."

"You should at least try to eat," said Luda.

The closest thing to her was the stack of pancakes, so Ketura placed one onto an empty plate, ignoring the pancake toppings and sausages and cheeses. She nibbled at it as she looked around the table, and to her it seemed like everybody except for Luda was going out of their way to avoid eye contact with her or even acknowledge she was there. Telma and Midna must have told them already, she thought.

"I had an idea," Impa said after finishing her food, "while we're here, if there's time, we could also make some kind of statement at Zelda's wedding. According to our spies in Hyrule Castle, the ceremony is at noon and the festivities go through the night."

"We still need to prioritize saving Link," said Colin testily.

"Yes, of course, but I don't think we should pass up this opportunity." Impa replied.

"Do we know for a fact that Zant's holding him at Hyrule Castle?" asked Ashei.

"Yes." Midna said curtly.

"How do we know that Zant hasn't just gone ahead and killed Link yet?" asked Talo.

The same thought had plagued Ketura as well, but she was somewhat confident that couldn't be the case. "Because he's waiting for me," she piped up. All eyes suddenly fell on her, mixes of skepticism and surprise.

"So- so I was told," she added hastily.

Impa nodded thoughtfully. "Ketura, should we expect, erm, anyone else to make an appearance at Hyrule Castle?"

"No," said Ketura as she shook her head.

"All right then … I'm sure you've heard it all already, Ketura, but I think you and I need to have a chat soon." Impa said coolly.

Ketura bowed her head and went back to nibbling on her pancake. In her peripheral vision, she saw Telma cast another look at her.[A1]

"But if Zant wants you, perhaps you shouldn't go," said Impa.

"I need to help rescue him," Ketura protested.

"You- you've done enough already. Let us handle it."

"But-"

"No. You are not an experienced fighter, and that would make you a liability … and your father wouldn't appreciate me taking you into such a dangerous situation anyway. This is final." Impa said authoritatively.

Ketura sighed loudly and cast her eyes back down at her plate; she tore off small chunks of her pancake and dropped them on her plate. Impa's words irked her, telling her to stay behind … she wanted to ask Impa if she would want to be told to stay behind if it was _her_ father that had been captured. True, she wasn't much use in a fight, but Link was an excellent swordsman, and could surely take care of Zant for good if someone took the Master Sword to him ….

"The sewers again?" Telma asked.

"That's what we're thinking," said Zahrain.

"Hope they smell nicer this time," commented Nabira.

"They'll probably smell worse," said Levali.

"Think they'll have upped security this time?" speculated Colin.

"Probably, but we can handle it," said Talo.

"We got lucky last time since the sewers lead straight into the dungeons … but he probably won't be there this time," said Midna.

"If he's not, we'll have to find Zant," said Impa.

"How do you suggest we find him?" asked Nabira.

"Hmm … maybe Ketura should go. If Zant wants her too, we could use her as bait," proposed Zahrain.

Ketura's ears perked when she heard her name, and her eyes flickered over to Zahrain. His idea seemed all right with her.

"Absolutely not!" snapped Telma.

"Link would not want us to do that," added Midna.

"I'm with Telma and Midna. Ketura is staying here. That's final," said Impa. "Although … perhaps we could access him through Princess Zelda."

"Again with Zelda?" Colin did not sound amused.

"If she is still under Zant's influence, she could lead us to him," said Impa, "or we could use _her_ as bait … propose a trade, her for him, threaten to kill her, maybe cut off a finger or two to show we're serious –"

"Don't you think that's a little much?" interrupted Luda.

"She's not using those fingers anyway," murmured Telma.

"But we insist that he hand over Link before we give Zelda back. We get Link, Midna gets him out, the rest of us fight and defeat him."

"I want to be in the fight too!" said Midna. "Save some for me!"

"Then get back before we kill him!" replied Talo.

"Did you ever make it to the Twilight Realm?" Nabira asked Midna. Midna shook her head. "Oh well. It'd be nice to have some extra Twili magic, I guess, but all of us against him should be fine."

"Anything else, anyone?" Impa said as she stood up. Everyone looked around at each other, Talo and Colin shook their heads, and Ashei muttered "No."

"All right then." Impa walked away from the table, out of the little alcove, and up towards the ceiling. She thrust her arm up and out, and a thin chain shot out from under her sleeve, following the line of her fingers. The chain rattled as it flew, landed on something, then came falling back down to ground level; it had wrapped itself around a rope ladder, bringing it down as well. Impa flexed the palm of her hand to retract the chain back into her sleeve, then she looked back at the table.

"If we're ready, let's not waste any more time," she said. Everyone stood up and made their way to the ladder, while Telma hung back a little. Ashei went up first, followed by Zahrain, then the twins, then Talo, then Colin (who stopped to pat Ketura on the shoulder and reassure her that they would bring Link back) then Luda, and finally Impa. Midna rose through the air, bringing the ladder up with her to a small ledge in front of a window-like opening in the wall. One by one, they walked through the opening and descended down another ladder, disappearing from sight.

Once Midna had gone down herself, Telma sighed and then made her way back to the table. Ketura, not sure of what else to do, followed along and together the two of them wordlessly cleared the table, adding the dishes to a pre-existing stack of dirty dishes in the bar's kitchen that would have to wait to be washed until there was enough clean water to do so. From there, Telma led Ketura back upstairs to the flat, and then she bundled up in a bright pink coat and grabbed a few letters.

"I'm going to go deliver these … I'll be back in a little bit," said Telma listlessly before heading back out the door.

Ketura watched the door for a brief moment, waiting to see if Telma would come back in after forgetting something … but she didn't. Figuring the coast was clear, Ketura hastily shoved her boots onto her feet, checked her bag to see one Red Potion and one Green Potion inside along with her pouch of medical supplies, hastily took out all but one of the bottles of snow water, tossed her lantern inside the bag, slung the sheathed Master Sword over her back and her bag over her shoulders, fixed her hair into a braid as she thundered down the stairs back into the bar, and stopped when she looked up at the opening that led into the sewers. The rope ladder lay in an unceremonious pile in front of the opening, and near the ladder sat a blue vase. She raised up her hand and used magic to scoot the vase along the ledge and get it to gently nudge the ladder forward and down. Once the ladder had fallen, she wasted no time in ambling up, pausing once she got onto the ledge, and asked herself if she really should be doing this.

Of course she should, she decided. Her father would do the same for her.

* * *

The passageway out of Telma's bar led her into an abandoned house. The doors and windows were boarded up, a thick layer of dust covered the floor, cobwebs filled the corners, and framed portraits lay on the ground, also covered in dust. These portraits depicted well-dressed people, a silvery wisp of a ghost with a sickle in hand, landscapes of Hyrule, and a particularly handsome cat. An area rug covered the wood floor, and one of its corners was folded up. Atop the rug sat an armchair whose stuffing was starting to poke out.

As she looked around, Ketura wondered if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere, even though the passageway didn't even have any branches or forks she could have chosen between. Or maybe she was in Hyrule Castle already, and she would just have to rip the boards off the doors and windows. Then again, if the others had come before her, they should have done that already ….

She took a step forward, but jumped back when a shadowy being emerged from the armchair. "I knew you'd come!" exclaimed Midna.

Ketura didn't respond.

"And you brought the Master Sword too! Let me guess: you're going to use it yourself against Zant to save your father and Hyrule all at the same time?"

"Uh, no. I was just going to give it to him," said Ketura.

"Uh huh, sure you were. Well if you're coming, the entrance to the sewers is here." Midna pointed at the area rug's folded corner, and then directed it to fold over even more until a trapdoor was revealed.

"You're not going to try and stop me?" asked Ketura, a little nervous, and suspecting that Midna might just teleport her back into the bar without warning.

"Eh, I don't see the point. You want to be a noble bonehead so I won't get in your way. It must run in the family."

Ketura opened the trapdoor and heard the sound of rushing water. She saw no ladders, or ropes, or anything she could use to make her descent, only darkness.

"You're just going to have to jump," said Midna nonchalantly.

With a nod, Ketura sat at the edge of the trapdoor's opening, with her legs dangling below. She closed her eyes, mentally counted to five, and then pushed herself off and down. A few seconds later, she hit the water, and it carried her along as she struggled to keep her head above water. The water was cold, and in the dark she couldn't see what color it was, but by the gross smell she guessed it wasn't completely clean and clear.

A small drop deposited Ketura into a circular room, where water ran along the outer edges to flow into drains, and in the middle was a raised platform, completely dry and populated by a couple of rats. She pulled herself onto the platform, felt through her bag for her lantern, and used Din's Fire to light it. Her body, clothes, and the inside of her bag were all soaking wet and smelled of the sewage.

"You know, we haven't really gotten to talk about the whole Ganondorf thing," Midna said suddenly. Ketura jumped again. "I've given you some distance at first because you were so distraught over your father, but I think now's a good time. For starters … what the hell were you thinking?!"

Ketura did not want to talk about that, and she especially didn't know where to start talking. She turned in a circle, letting her lantern illuminate the space and hopefully reveal another passageway to take. The rats ran in circles around her feet, squeaked at her and each other, and then made their way into the water.

"And you're not a prodigy at magic, are you?"

"No, no I'm not," confessed Ketura. "He, uh, offered to teach me magic. And how to use a sword."

"Okay … why, though?"

"Because I wanted to learn. And also because he wanted a partner to help him get back what was stolen from him – I _still_ don't know what this, by the way –"

"Wait, stop – the good news here, if I'm right, is that you're not secretly evil. But the bad news is that you're just _dumb_."

"What?"

"That's right. I said it," said Midna brashly. "You lack good judgment! I mean, you're not only associating yourself with one of the most cunning, ambitious, and greedy people to ever live – but you're going along with his plans and you don't even know what they are!"

"I'm not going along with his plans," snapped Ketura. "All I'm doing is learning how to fight so I can help fight against Zant. That's it. Seriously."

"Uh huh. Sure that's all." Midna did not sound like she was buying it.

"I'm serious!"

"And you just hoped that eventually he'd start talking about whatever it is he's up to?"

After a pause, Ketura answered "Yeah, basically. I mean, he wants me around, and apparently I'm important to his plans, and he says that he's indebted to me because I resurrected him, so …."

Midna laughed. "That's a new one!" When she got over the burst of laughter, she straightened her face and let out a huff of irritation. "He may be telling you all these things about how important you are and how he owes you and whatever, but you shouldn't have believed a single word of it."

Ketura located an open drain, just big enough for her to go through. She took another look around, unsure if that was indeed the way she wanted to go, but there were no doors or windows and all the other drains were closed off with bars. The rats could fit between the bars, but she would not be able to.

"I hate to say this, but look at Zant! If it weren't for Zant, Ganondorf could not have returned to the world of light! He filled Zant's head with all these ideas of great power and significance and having all his heart's desires granted. And look where that got him: he was discarded when his purpose was served." Midna continued. "The whole 'I-owe-you-for-bringing-me-back' shtick is probably a ruse as well."

Anxiety temporarily flashed through Ketura. What Midna had said about Zant was true, but … that wouldn't happen to her, would it? She wouldn't be thrown aside after her purpose was served, right? Then again, she didn't even know what her purpose was; she could have served it already and not had the faintest idea.

"You- you think so?" she asked.

"I know so. And if I'm wrong I'll eat my hair." Midna said self-assuredly.

Ketura looked back to the open drain as dread rose up inside of her: she did not want to get back into the gross sewer water, and she did not want to entertain the possibility that Midna could be right.

"From here on out, watch your back and sleep with one eye open. That's the last I'll say on this."

"Yeah. Okay," Ketura said absentmindedly as she lowered herself back into the water, held her lantern as high up as she could, and used her remaining three limbs to clumsily swim to the open drain. Once there, she let the current carry her through the drain for some distance until she landed in a pool at the edge of a dark room, with crumbled stone laying on the ground and falling off the walls, and Skulltula webs everywhere. She saw the bodies of a few Bulbins on the ground and across the stairs up ahead, and fresh blood still oozed from the various injuries on their bodies. A small knife she recognized as belonging to Impa had been embedded into the jugular vein of one of the Bulbins.

"Looks like they've been through here already," said Ketura as she climbed out of the water and walked forward, stepping around and over the Bulbin corpses. "Do they know you remained behind to see if I'd come?"

"Of course they do," answered Midna. "I was supposed to take you back to the bar if you did, but now I'll only do it if I suspect you're in any immediate danger. But I don't think these guys will give you much trouble."

"Probably not." Ketura shivered under the combination of wet clothes and cold clammy skin. She set her lantern down, shook out her arms, and tried to remember a spell she read about in a book at Telma's. It came to her, and with a flick of her wrists and a swift push forward with her arms, her clothes were dry again as droplets of sewer water flew out of the fabric and dissipated into the air. Repeating the motion got her skin and hair mostly dry. Midna watched the process, her expression stony and narrow-eyed, and at the end she just shook her head.

Ketura and Midna went up the two sets of stairs in the room and through a doorway into a larger room, also empty save for some Skulltula webs and the remains of slain Bulbins. At first, Ketura saw nothing but pieces of giant pillars laying on the ground, and definitely nothing indicating which way she needed to go next.

"Am I going the right way? You've been this way before, haven't you?" she asked Midna.

"Honestly, it's all kind of a blur," said Midna. "I'm going to hide in your shadow for now. If you need anything, say so, all right?" Before Ketura could respond, Midna shrank down and completely disappeared into the ground.

After scanning the room for another minute, Ketura found worn, eroded ledges arranged in tiers, and at the uppermost tier was another doorway. She ran to the first ledge and climbed each one on her way to the top. On the way up the last ledge, her knee slammed and scraped against the corner of the ledge. The pain was enough to make her want to cry, her pants had been torn, and the skin on her knee had been scraped up, allowing blood and dirt and gravel to intermingle among the ripped-up flesh.

"Aaah," she grunted as she stood up, and she decided to just power through it. If she was going to face Zant, she couldn't use her one Red Potion on a scraped-up knee.

Her decision to power through it resulted in a mildly painful walk through the following corridor and into a small room, with a trapdoor in the middle of the floor. She opened up the trapdoor, saw another rope ladder extending from the top edge of the hole downward, and used it to descend into the palace dungeons.


	34. Thirty-Three

**THIRTY-THREE**

Ketura saw small prison cells lined up down a long block, with stone walls and iron bars, each holding three or four people per cell. Many of the prisoners slept, and a few watched her silently as she walked up and down the block, looking for any sign of her father or the rebels. The cell block stunk of sewage and body odor.

"Are you with the group who just came through here?" one of the inmates asked. He leaned up against the bars of his cell and leered at her with sunken yellow eyes.

"Uh, yeah. Did they find the person they were looking for here?" Ketura hoped for a best-case scenario where Impa had found Link and then they all went to go snag Princess Zelda.

"Beats me. They all went running to the tower over there," the inmate said as he pointed off to a door at the end of a long hallway. Two guards lay unconscious on the floor in front of the door, their spears and swords laying inches away from outstretched hands.

Without saying anything else, Ketura made her way down that hall to the door. She stopped for a brief moment to look at the unconscious guards before opening the door and going through it. On the other side, she found herself in a tall circular room with a staircase spiraling up along the wall, and a doorway on each level all the way up to the top starting at the third level. None of the doors were open, and none of them looked like they had been damaged in any way, so she had no way to tell which way that Impa and the others had gone.

Maybe she could just poke around, she decided as she began her ascent up the staircase. She could take it one level at a time, comb the areas thoroughly, and somehow get Zant's attention. It struck her as funny, that for so long she had been trying to avoid him, and now she was running right at him, ready or not. Thinking about that made her pause, and her body tensed up. For a split second, she thought that going back to Telma's and waiting would be the smart thing to do … but she had already come this far, and her father needed help. That was more important than any fear she felt about what she was doing, she told herself.

The door on the third level of the staircase led into another hallway, only instead of being dark and dank and musty like the dungeons and tower had been, it was warmly lit by golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. A cushy blue carpet ran down the hall, whose walls were decorated with portraits of various landscapes and lined with suits of armor. There were, however, no other rooms in the hallway. As she walked down the hall, she looked at each suit of armor and each portrait, lingering a little while longer on a painting depicting a spectacularly colorful sunrise over Hyrule Field. The plaque on the painting's frame dated it as over three hundred and fifty years old, by an artist whose name was lost to history and who had been a favorite of the royal court until he was executed for treason.

Ketura followed the hall to the end and wound up on a balcony overlooking the main hall of Hyrule Castle. She stepped up to the edge of the balcony, stopping in front of the rails, and crouched down. She looked through the rails at the scene below: men in long white robes congregating by the Triforce mosaic on the floor, guards posted around the perimeter and at the entrance, some people in splendid gowns and suits standing around talking or admiring the main hall's decorations of Triforce banners and sculptures of the Goddesses, one man in a white-and-scarlet suit pacing up and down the length of the hall, and seven people crouching behind the stone statue of the Hero of Time. She looked closer at those hiding, and recognized Colin as one of them right before he slipped on his gray mask. The others down there followed suit, putting on their masks but otherwise staying put. She guessed that they were waiting for Zelda to make an appearance.

Apparently, so were the other people standing in the hall. The man who paced about smoothed over his copper-colored hair before changing course and approaching the men in white robes, and he loudly said something about sending for a lady-in-waiting to check on the Princess. One robed man, who wore a cerulean shawl over his head, said something about patience being a virtue in marriage and that now was a good time to begin practicing it.

"So that's Lord Daphnes," Ketura mumbled. She had heard a great deal about the man, but now was the first time to have seen him in person. From her position, she noticed that a well-trimmed beard the same color as his hair adorned his face, and he had a very noticeable square jaw, and some kind of pendant hung around his neck. Part of her wondered why the rebels down below didn't just take him out while they had the chance.

After waiting a few minutes for something to happen in the main hall, Ketura scurried across the balcony into another hall. This time, however, there were two doors on opposite sides of the hall from one another, and at the end was a staircase. Ketura glanced between the two doors before deciding to go in the one on the right. She found herself in a bathroom, with marble floors, two stalls and a loveseat along the far wall, and a wash basin across from them. It was just a bathroom, she decided, and she was ready to turn around and try the other door until one of the stalls opened up.

Princess Zelda emerged from the stall. She wore a satin white floor-length gown with gold trim along the hem of her skirt and cap sleeves, lacy elbow-length gloves, her hair in a loose but neat bun, and dangling diamond earrings. Her royal diadem rested on her head, and the hairnet keeping her bun in place was adorned with small sapphires and diamonds. Ketura froze at the sight of her: she was surely the definition of a beautiful bride, but of all the places she expected to find the Princess she would never guess that it would be inside a bathroom - especially on her wedding day.

However, Zelda didn't immediately respond to Ketura's presence. Rather, she went straight for the wash basin, took off her gloves, and splashed some water across her face. She then gripped onto the edge of the basin, bowed her head, twisted her face into a grimace, and let out a soft moan of pain.

"Um, Your Highness, are you all right?" Ketura bowed quickly before cautiously approaching Zelda.

"Oh yes, I am fine, just some pre-wedding jitters, that is all- oh!" Zelda doubled down even more and her grip on the basin's edge tightened.

"Are you- are you sure?" Ketura continued.

Zelda relaxed her face and looked up at Ketura. She looked like she wanted to say something, but her expression softened, and her eyes studied Ketura's face. "You look familiar," she said.

"We met before," said Ketura. She recalled her first meeting with the Princess, and how it prematurely ended thanks to a sudden headache. Perhaps she was suffering another one then?

"Yes, we did. You're … Ketura, aren't you? Ketura Lykos?"

"I am," said Ketura.

"I thought so. You have your father's eyes," said Zelda as she straightened her posture. Her eyes flickered past Ketura's shoulders temporarily. "You havem the Master Sword," she observed. "I regret to tell you this, but your father has been imprisoned since after you were born."

"Where?" asked Ketura.

"The castle's dungeons, of course," said Zelda simply.

Something didn't seem right. Why hadn't Zelda acknowledged that Link had previously escaped just then?

"I, uh, with all due respect Your Highness, I didn't see him as I went through the dungeons. Is there another place where, uh, special prisoners are held? Like if someone escaped but were then recaptured and needed some extra punishment?"

"Link escaped from prison?" Zelda asked, surprised.

"Wait, I thought you knew," said Ketura, thinking that those headaches must have been really bad if they made Zelda forget things like that.

"No, I did not … forgive me, but it seems there are holes in my memory, caused by- do you know of Zant, Ketura?"

"I do. He's had you under some kind of spell, hasn't he?"

"Yes. This is only the second time in sixteen years that his hold has weakened on me," said Zelda as her face turned pale, "and the first time it did not last long until he-"

"Zelda? Zelda, where are you?" A man's voice could be heard outside. Ketura recognized him as Lord Daphnes.

"Who is that? I do not recognize his voice," said Zelda curiously.

"That ... that is your groom. Lord Daphnes," explained Ketura.

" _Who?"_

"Lord Daphnes, the Duke of Lanayru, current Cultural Minister of Hyrule, has a public image of being a pompous self-righteous know-it-all and is probably just marrying you for his own personal gain - well, I don't know about that last part. He could genuinely be in love with you, I don't know. But he's the one you're marrying today. Unless you want to put a stop to it, of course."

Zelda looked absolutely aghast for a moment before regaining her composure and gracefully exiting the bathroom. Ketura remained inside, pressing her ear to the door and listening to Zelda ask Daphnes who he was.

"Zelda, my love, now is not the time for levity. The carriage has been waiting outside for thirty minutes to take us to the Sacred Temple of Nayru for the ceremony. You look lovely, by the way," said Daphnes.

There was a pause.

"Are you all right?" Daphnes asked cautiously.

After another short pause, Zelda replied. "Yes, of course I am! But there is one last matter I need to tend to, and then we will be on our way." She did not sound confused like she had when Ketura told her who Daphnes was; she sounded self-assured and excited.

"Please, my love, make haste. I cannot wait for us to be united before the Goddesses."

Ketura wanted to groan. Daphnes sounded like a character in a cheesy romance novel.

Zelda swiftly re-entered the bathroom and faced Ketura, smirking deviously at her.

"Your father is on the roof of the castle. Shall I take you there now?"

The Princess's facial expression, and what she had just said, completely took Ketura by surprise. She looked at Zelda blankly for a brief few seconds, until she came to a conclusion.

"Yes, Your Highness. Let's go," she said firmly.

"Very well. Just what I wanted to hear. Let's – aah!" Zelda doubled over again, clasping her hand to her forehead as she grimaced; Ketura caught a glimpse of the Triforce crest on the back of her hand.

"No," muttered Zelda, "Get out of my head- agh- aah- Ketura, go now. He spoke through me- he wants you there … on the roof … be careful- aah!"

Right before Zelda fully fell to the floor, Ketura dove forward and grabbed her, holding the Princess up to the best of her ability and half-dragging her over to the loveseat so she could sit down.

"Thank you," said Zelda tiredly, "now go. I will be all right. Hyrule and all of its people are counting on you," she added as she leaned back in her seat. Ketura nodded solemnly and turned to go. She paused at the door, realizing that Daphnes was probably still outside the bathroom waiting on Zelda.

Midna emerged from Ketura's shadow, and she found Zelda reclining on the loveseat. She moved over to Zelda and the two of them engaged in a quick and quiet conversation. The only words Ketura could understand were "he cannot have it" and "do what must be done." At the end, Midna gently pressed her small hand to Zelda's cheek before turning away and going back to Ketura.

"I'm going to transport us up to the roof. Zant carries on him the means of going back to the Twilight Realm," said Midna.

"Okay," Ketura replied.

"I'll need to get it from him somehow … after we kill him."

"But you and Dad wanted to go there, didn't you? To find something to help kill him?"

"That's not an option anymore. When he's gone, we'll need to destroy it like we did the Mirror. And I have a decision to make … to stay here, or to return to the Twilight Realm … but there's no time for that now. Are you ready to go?"

Ketura nodded slowly. With each passing second she felt queasier, more tense, more scared. She was actually going to go fight Zant. Whether she liked it or not, it was real. He would probably kill her, unless by some lucky accident she and Midna managed to kill him instead. But her dad needed help, _her_ help, and apparently so did the rest of Hyrule. A small part of her hoped that Ganondorf would make a last-minute appearance and help her, expecting almost nothing in return, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

As she teleported away, out of the bathroom, she heard Daphnes call out from the other side of the door "Zelda, darling, are you sure you are all right?"

* * *

She and Midna rematerialized on the roof of Hyrule Castle, standing on a mix of snow and blue shingles. The midmorning sun hung in the sky, doing little to warm the air. She could not remember the last time she had seen the sun or felt its light on her face, but she could not bring herself to fully appreciate it in that moment.

Ketura precariously balanced herself on the peak of the roof and walked forward slowly, scanning the area and seeing the towers of the castle surrounding her, the Tower of the Gods soaring high above her head – it was even uglier up close, she thought – and Castle Town below, with miniature buildings and ant-sized people buzzing about from place to place. On the other side of the roof, past the intersection of two peaks, she saw a mass of green among the white and blue.

She picked up the pace, almost breaking into a run, and drew close enough to see that it was indeed Link. He lay still, breathing heavily, one eye swollen shut and the other's eyelid drooping. A fresh new cut, surrounded by dry crusted blood, adorned the right side of his face and matched the scar on the left side. Spatters of brownish red blood covered his green tunic, there were bruises and swelling all over his neck, and his left forearm bent at an odd angle between his elbow and his wrist.

"Dad?" Ketura whimpered as she dropped to her knees, straddling the roof's peak as she did. She set her bag down next to him, then grabbed his right hand and held it in hers; his hand was cold, but he weakly held onto her in turn.

"Ketura?" Link's voice was raspy and pained.

"Yes, I'm here. It's going to be okay. You'll be okay, Dad." Although he was battered and bruised and bloody, seeing him alive filled her with relief, and she smiled slightly.

"No. You … shouldn't … have … come."

Midna lowered herself to be face level with Link. "Shh, save your strength," she said softly as she held his face in her hands.

"Dad, is Zant nearby?" Ketura asked. She opened her bag with her free hand and felt around to find the bottle of Red Potion.

Before Link could answer, Ketura heard the musical _whoosh_ that accompanied Twili teleportation magic. She turned around to see Zant a few yards behind her, with his hand gripping the back of Princess Zelda's neck. Zant laughed, sounding pleased with himself, while Zelda stood still with her eyes shut and her arms hanging limply at her side.

"Midna, take her, please," begged Link.

Zant held out his free hand, and with an "Aah!" Midna flew straight through the air towards him. She hovered in place, her arms frozen above her head, as Zant made a crystal materialize in his hand.

"Do you recognize this, Midna?" Zant asked as the black crystal's markings and auras glowed with a white light. "I crafted it myself, from shards of the Mirror of Twilight, our ancestors' magic, and the divine power of this world. There will be no need for it soon, however, because our worlds will meet and become one. I am offering you a choice, Midna. Would you like to remain here, with the ones in this miserable world that you hold so dear and die alongside them? Or would you like to return to the Twilight Realm one last time so you can explain to your subjects just how and why you failed them?"

"You can't do this," said Midna through gritted teeth.

"Yes I can. I will. It has taken me sixteen years to get here, so close to my moment of triumph. Now choose, before I choose for you!"

Holding her breath and still keeping her hand clasped around her father's, Ketura watched the exchange between Midna and Zant. Her free hand pulled itself out of her bag and she kept it raised slightly. Part of her wished that Midna would go on back to the Twilight Realm, to get herself out of harm's way, but the other part of her really wanted Midna's help. Zelda also unnerved her; the Princess stood in place with her eyes closed and her head bowed, motionless, like a doll.

Midna gazed sorrowfully at Zelda, then sighed. "I will stay here," she said. A second later, her arms dropped to her side, and she slowly floated over to face Zelda directly. She paused, glanced to Zant (who watched her expectantly), then looked back to Zelda.

"Zelda, I am so sorry," said Midna as she turned her hair into a giant hand. The fingers then twisted around one another and twisted together to form a blade. She suddenly thrust the blade into Zelda's chest. Zelda's body shook and seized and flailed, and small dark particles exploded and flew out from the site of the attack, and the veins in her neck and arms turned dark. Ketura gasped, unable to take her eyes off of Zelda, and wondering what Midna was doing.

Soon, Zelda stopped moving and hung limply in place for a split second. Her body collapsed and hit the roof, and she lay lifelessly as her face went pale and the dark wound on her chest did not go away. The back of her hand glowed gold, then the glow subsided; with it, the Triforce Crest disappeared.

" _WHAT DID YOU DO_?!" Zant howled at Midna.

"You can't unite the Triforce without the Triforce of Wisdom," Midna told him gravely as she kept her eyes on Zelda.

"You WRETCH! You cursed, damned, insufferable little WORM!" Zant shrieked as he jumped up and down, stomping his feet every time they hit the rooftop and cracking the shingles underneath. "I will have you pay for this!" He backhanded Midna, sending her flying backwards into a nearby castle tower. From there, Zant used magic to hurl Midna into another tower, until bringing her back to be right in front of him.

"Now you will have failed this world as well," Zant hissed as he froze Midna's arms above her head again and moved her to be hovering next to him. From her position, Ketura noticed dark blood oozing out of a gash across the bridge of Midna's nose.

Zant stepped forward and extended an arm towards Ketura. She raised her own hand in preparation to cast Nayru's Love around herself and Link, but she was too slow. Zant raised Link into the air, causing his hand to slide out of his daughter's, and brought him forward. Link hung drooping in the air, like a puppet on strings, right in front of Zant.

"No!" Ketura sprang to her feet and drew the Master Sword. She took a step forward and was greeted by a red force field just inches from her face. She swung the sword, and when it made contact with the force field it bounced right off and back. Ketura stumbled backwards some, but then regained her footing. Hitting it with the sword again did nothing, and the strongest magic attacks she could produce bounced right back or were effortlessly absorbed by the force field. She looked around, seeing the force field extending the entire length of the roof so that she couldn't go around it; being three feet taller than she was, she could hardly jump over it; and she had no means of teleporting to the other side. All she could do was watch helplessly, which had to be the only torment worse than actually being tormented by Zant. She knew what was going to happen the minute Zant repositioned Link to levitate in an upright position so the two could look each other in the eye, but she refused to believe it. It wasn't going to happen. There was still time for something miraculous to happen. There had to be. Or maybe this was some horrible nightmare and she'd wake up back in Telma's flat-

"Actions have consequences, Midna," said Zant tauntingly, "and you are about to reap them. Watch Hyrule's bloodline of Heroes die!"

"Zant- please- no!" Midna begged desperately.

Zant's helmet retracted, folding in on itself, as if he wanted his own pale blue face and bright orange eyes to bear witness to what he was about to do. "Link, I want you to know something. One last thing to carry with you to whatever lies beyond." He smiled sadistically. "Your precious daughter, Ketura, will also suffer horribly before I kill her. You failed to save her!"

Before Link had the chance to react, Zant threw him backwards into the force field that separated Ketura from everyone else. His body convulsed, similar to how Zelda's had, and he groaned and cried out in agony. He dropped down, hitting the roof hard, and his chest rose up and down weakly. He pushed himself up with only his right arm as he held his left arm to his chest, swayed on the spot, and then slowly turned around. His eyes found Ketura's; they were tired, but still showed his determination.

"Dad-" She wanted to tell him to hold on, that she would find a way around or over or through the force field that separated them, and she would come to his aid. Before she could say anything else, a thick black tentacle wrapped itself around Link's neck and yanked him away from her. Dragged by the tentacle, Link moved backwards until the tentacle retracted back into Zant's sleeve. Zant, now baring a long dagger, swiftly grabbed Link by his hair and swiped across his throat with the dagger. Out of the deep cut poured a small waterfall of blood, and Link gasped and gargled as his body fell lifelessly to the roof.

"Dad? Dad! NO!" Ketura shrieked. She fell to her knees, and she fought back tears as insurmountable, unshakeable panic and rage took hold of her.

Link rolled his head to the side to face the force field, and his eyes desperately tried to find Ketura. It didn't take long for his eyes to lose focus, though. His chest, which had previously worked so hard to keep him breathing, fell still, and his mouth hung open slightly. His left hand rested on his chest; the back of the hand glowed gold, exactly like Zelda's hand had, and when the glow subsided the once-prominent crest of the Triforce of Courage was gone.


	35. Thirty-Four

**THIRTY-FOUR**

Ketura couldn't look away from her father. His eyes remained wide open, staring past her into nothingness, devoid of the ferocious strength they had once held. She looked closer at him, really focused, hoping to see his torso rise up and down as he tried to breathe … but nothing. He was perfectly still, as still as the body of Princess Zelda that lay just mere feet away from him. Both of them had been reduced to empty, lifeless beings.

Zant looked over his shoulder to Midna and cracked a smile. Midna bowed her head low and closed her eyes. From there, Zant grabbed onto Link's left wrist and pulled him up until the back of his hand was level with Zant's eyes. "It's gone," hissed Zant as he dropped Link, who fell limply back onto the rooftop. Zant waved his arm and the force field disappeared.

Ketura's shock was starting to wear off, and she found herself able to think about something other than the fact that Link was dead, but she still couldn't pull her gaze away from him. She needed to kill Zant, then and there, or die trying. It was too late for Link, but Zant needed to pay for what he did, and she could keep more people from getting hurt … and she did not want to live to see a world controlled by him anyway. She tightened her hold on the Master Sword's hilt. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she let them fall down her face.

"What about you, Ketura? How are you feeling? Is anything peculiar happening to you right now?" Zant asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her with his bright orange eyes. He then held out both of his arms in front of him and pulled Ketura towards him, yanking her up onto her feet, and causing her to drop the Master Sword. He caught her by the wrists and gripped onto them tightly, scanned the backs of her hands, and while doing so the back of his right hand glowed gold, similar to how Link's and Zelda's hands had. While struggling to free herself, Ketura caught a brief glimpse of the Triforce Crest on his hand.

"Nothing?!" Zant said incredulously. "Or perhaps … not yet!" He then threw Ketura backwards, sending her flying a few feet until she hit the roof hard on her back. She let out a small cry, feeling the intense blunt pain of where the back of her head made contact.

"But fear not, Ketura. I will not kill you here. I had your father for practically your entire life. I hope to keep you for another fourteen years, maybe even longer. Because when I told Link you would suffer, _I meant it._ "

Ketura jumped to her feet and quickly cast Nayru's Love around herself just as Zant launched a red blob at her; she reflected his attack back at him, and he spun in a tight circle and vanished. She looked around quickly before lowering her shield and advancing towards Midna, trying to think of a way to break Zant's hold on her. After taking only a few steps, Zant rematerialized in front of her – and on either side of her, and behind her. The four Zants moved in a circle around her, each of them laughing. She figured that only one of them could be real, so she shot red bolts of light at each Zant as he passed in front of her. The first Zant vanished in a puff after being hit, as did the second. The third one suddenly reversed course and went back around the way it came, stopping behind her and striking her right between the shoulder blades with something sharp and white-hot. Ketura stumbled forward and fell, her hands catching her before her face made contact with the rough blue shingles of the roof, and she felt the skin scraping off the palms and heels of her hands. The stabbing, burning sensation on her back had to be some of the worst pain she had ever felt in her life.

She got back up and formed a large red disc in her hand. She sent it whizzing through the air, spinning it as fast as she could, and directed it to chase Zant as he hopped around, vanished, and then reappeared somewhere else. Eventually, Zant held still so he could hold his arms up in the air and generate a giant black-and-purple blob to throw at her, and Ketura's disc hit his back, causing his blob to shrink into nothingness and stunning him temporarily. He doubled over, head bowed, and he let out pained grunts with his ragged breathing.

Feeling emboldened, Ketura hurled bright bolts of light and Din's Fire in rapid succession at him, and as each one hit he let out a yelp or a scream while his body flinched and flopped from side to side. She threw one last attack at him, a green stream of energy, just in time for Zant to regain his composure and erect a red force field around himself and deflect the attack back at her. Ketura didn't jump out of the way in time, and the stream hit her in the stomach. She fell back, twisted slightly in midair, and crashed into the rooftop again. Her cheekbone made contact first, and she heard a loud _crack_ and felt a sharp pain, and her entire midsection felt like it was on fire.

There had to be a way to beat him, she thought while also hoping that if he did eventually want to kill her he might as well get it over with. She watched as he sauntered towards her, stopping only to pick up the Master Sword and throw it. The sword zoomed through the air, stopping when it collided with a castle tower. Rather than falling, the sword drove itself into the gap between two stones, burying half of the blade inside the tower's wall.

"You put up quite the fight, don't you?" Zant said eerily as he stood over her, tilting his head to the side and looking like he wanted to devour her. "A trait I usually admire, but in your case it has become quite annoying. Now show me what I want to see!"

Ketura didn't know what he wanted to see, but whatever it was she guessed it was something he didn't need to have. "No," she responded weakly.

"No? You do have it, then!"

She didn't reply. He suddenly kicked her hard in her already hurting stomach. She recoiled and let out a whimper. He kicked again and again, to her stomach and chest and back and the back of her head, hitting as fast and hard as a falling brick would.

" _Show- it- to- me- Ketura!_ " he demanded, punctuating every word with another kick.

How much more could she take, she asked herself. She let out a cough, noticing that small drops of blood had flown out of her mouth. Her eyes, burning with contempt, looked up at him.

"Is that all you've got?"

Zant laughed softly. He held out a hand and used magic to slide her body up and down the roof, and he made sure she hit every bump and rough patch in her path. Ketura flailed her arms in front of her, trying to get a hold onto something, until she decided to throw another red bolt at him. It hit him between the eyes, causing his arm to fly up to his face and cease the flow of magic. Ketura may have then been free from his spell, but she kept sliding in the direction Zant had sent her, until she came to a complete stop just inches from the edge of the roof.

Her head swam, and her vision was hazy. Her sides, face, stomach, and back were all inflamed with pain, and her forehead throbbed, concentrated in a spot just above her eyebrow. The cold wet snow stung the open wounds on her hands. It was hard to find a part of her that didn't hurt somehow. A lock of her hair got stuck on the blood on her forehead. She coughed again, and more droplets of blood flew out of her mouth. She let out a few heavy, desperate breaths, and then pushed herself up onto all fours. The next step was to stand up, but she stayed in place for a moment, trying to imagine how she would proceed, but she didn't come up with a plan. Zant was too powerful for her to fight alone, the Master Sword was out of reach, and she had no hope of any kind of help. None of her strongest attacks had been enough to get him to lose his focus and free Midna. Her peripheral vision caught the edge of the roof, and it occurred to her that there was an easy way out. It was a long way down, and it would free her from being held captive by Zant and tormented by him for the rest of what would be a horrible existence. A long way down, and it would certainly be over the instant she hit the ground ….

She had been sitting there on all fours for at least a minute, and she wondered why Zant hadn't attacked her again yet, or said anything to her at all. He was talking to someone else, though – Midna, maybe? She couldn't make out the finer details of the conversation, although she imagined it would be something along the lines of how Zant was about to win at his plans to make everyone miserable and dead. Slowly, she turned her head to the side to look towards Zant … and she saw Ganondorf standing opposite of him. How hard had she been hit in the head?

* * *

"I am surprised to see you again so soon, Ganondorf," Zant sneered.

"Well here I am," answered Ganondorf. After spending the night and early morning sneaking into Castle Town and laying low in the castle grounds, he saw flashes of light and heard cries of agony coming from the rooftop. A hunch told him that Zant would be up there – as would Ketura – and he was both pleased and displeased to find that hunch to be correct. He chastised himself for taking so long to change his mind about aiding her, yet at the same time he recognized the benefit of arriving late when he saw Link's bloodied corpse. It had been kind of Zant to take care of that for him, he thought.

He glanced past Zant's head, noticing Ketura on the other side of the roof, slowly getting up but stopping as soon as she was on her hands and knees. Having just arrived, he didn't know the extent of her injuries – only that she was alive, although who knew how long that would be the case. Link and Zelda, though … at least Zelda needed to have lived, he thought bitterly as he took in the sight of the two bodies lying still and broken amidst the snow and shingles.

"And just in time! It appears that today is the day where all of my enemies die!" Zant half-jumped, half-skipped over to Midna, who hung still in the air with her arms over her head. " _This one_ thought it prudent to outright murder dear Zelda … what if the Triforce of Wisdom decides to dwell in some bottom feeder peasant next, eh? Will it really be better in _their_ hands rather than in mine, Midna?!" He shouted in Midna's face. "You selfish, arrogant piece of scum! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME HAVE WHAT IS MINE?!"

"It isn't yours," Midna said to him scornfully.

"You may think you've slowed me down, but I will find it again! Mark my words!" Zant swiftly backhanded Midna, causing her to let out a small cry of pain. "As for the girl," he said next, stepping away from Midna and turning his head to look at Ketura, "Nothing! She is useless!"

"It seems you misplaced your confidence, Zant," said Ganondorf coolly.

"As did you!" said Zant fiercely.

"Did I now?" Ganondorf asked as he sauntered in a half-circle around Zant. His mind raced with ideas, strategies, tactics, optimism that Ketura would be able to stand back up and even run, and what he would need to do if she couldn't. "See, my hopes were based on the merit of her character," he said plainly, "while you relied on the mere accident of her birth and who her father is- or, was."

Zant laughed. "Now now, no need to lie to me. Sure, our dear Ketura is brave and likes to think that she does what is right, but there could easily be someone in Hyrule who is more courageous and purer in heart. And she lies and deceives, so there is little merit to her character. She thinks she is _so good_ , doing what she can to help the poor little townspeople, but she is really no better than you or I." He paused and glanced towards Ketura again, who still rested on all fours. "Just as shady, just as selfish. You taught her well."

"Not well enough, otherwise you would have already been dead before I got here," retorted Ganondorf.

"But if it isn't about lineage for you, then what is it? Why did you want it to be _her_?! I know you aren't able to genuinely care about others, so I am baffled. Did you think it would be fun to corrupt the child of the man who killed you? Did you look at her and see me, what you had always wanted me to be? Is she better at worshiping false gods than I was? Worship you in ways that I never could?"

"Are you through yet?" Ganondorf asked, exasperated.

"I gave EVERYTHING. TO. YOU. And got NOTHING in return that I didn't have to take for myself!" Zant suddenly shouted. "You chose me for a reason. Wanted me until you DIDN'T! Because that is all you did, you used people and then threw them away! But not anymore, NO! It's different with that pathetic little girl. SHE'S worth protecting. SHE'S worth keeping. But not me! Not the one who returned you to this damn world of light! Not the one who actually ever did anything for you!" His chest heaved up and down as he breathed in indignant huffs and puffs.

Ganondorf glared intently at Zant, mulling over the words spewed at him, thinking about how choosing him was only a good idea at the time. A miserable man, craving power, but did not have what it took to properly wield it – what could go wrong, he had thought. That was a mistake he would never make again, and a mistake he would need to rectify then and there. A quick look over to Ketura showed that she had shifted into a crouching position, perhaps in preparation to stand up, and she clasped a hand to her bleeding forehead while her face wore a pained wince. _Stand up_ , he wanted to say to her, _stand up so you can fight._

"Perhaps I shouldn't kill you right now," said Zant, his voice calmer, "but I have the means of subduing you, of locking you away and leaving you to suffer like I did after you abandoned me. Don't worry about Ketura; she still has a long life ahead of her. I need a new plaything, after all. The torments I will dream up for her will be excruciating! Now … would you like to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

Ganondorf imagined himself tearing Zant to pieces, limb from limb, smashing his head open and spilling those rotted brains all over the roof, ripping those eyes right out of their sockets, ripping out his intestines and strangling him with them. Those methods were unrealistic, he knew that, but any eventual strategy he would employ would do the job just as well. It would be an end to the one who had caused him so much trouble, who had stolen from him and threatened him and everything he hoped to accomplish.

"The hard way, of course." With his fist shrouded in a dark aura, Ganondorf punched Zant hard in the chest.


	36. Thirty-Five

**A/N:** Hi, everyone! I definitely did not mean to go a whole month without updating. School got crazy, I had some adult responsibilities to tend to, and a few parts of this chapter gave me fits when it came to writing it. Anyway, sorry to keep you hanging.

* * *

 **THIRTY-FIVE**

Ketura pushed herself up, swayed and wobbled, and clasped her hand to her forehead. Her body felt like a mass of exhaustion and aching stabbing pains that all begged to be relieved, even while facing the prospect that relief would never come. She kept her head bowed, took a couple of deep breaths, and cast her eyes as far down as they would go when she caught a mess of green and red in her peripheral vision. It's one of Zant's tricks, she told herself. That wasn't her father's body leaking blood all over the roof of Hyrule Castle. No- he was somewhere else, alive and whole. He had to be.

She didn't let herself believe that lie for very long.

When she looked up, ahead of her she saw Ganondorf and Zant throwing blows at one another, casting powerful bursts of magic that exploded in every direction around them but never hitting their intended targets as each of them masterfully evaded or deflected their opponent's attacks. Ganondorf swung his arm forward and shot a blast of Din's Fire at Zant; in response, Zant turned on the spot and disappeared, reappearing several yards away from where he previously stood. When Ganondorf charged forward to re-engage his opponent, Ketura noticed that Midna still hung suspended in the air, arms frozen over her head.

She walked carefully over to Midna. "What's going on?" she asked quietly.

"They're trying to kill each other," said Midna shortly.

"Okay," murmured Ketura as she glanced past Midna towards the fight. One of Zant's attacks hit Ganondorf in the shoulder, making him stumble back a couple of steps, and she wondered if he would need her help. How much help she could be was a wholly different matter, of course.

"And I say let them. We need to go."

"Yeah, but I need to figure out a way to free you first," Ketura said. She reached her hands up and slowly moved her fingers towards Midna's wrists. No forcefield or magic inhibited her as she gently took hold and tried to move Midna's hands, but they did not budge.

"That's not going to work," said Midna as she studied Ketura's face. "Oh, you look like a mess. I shouldn't have brought you here."

"I'd have come anyway," Ketura replied.

"I know … you're a noble idiot, just like him."

Midna's words were like a stab in the heart. Ketura bit her lip, pulled her hands back to her, and tried to let her mind race with ideas until she realized she had none. She couldn't think of a spell she knew that would help; there had to be one, but it didn't come to mind. Instead, her mind filled with panicked thoughts about how doomed she and Midna were. Her breaths shortened and she was on the verge of hyperventilation, and her heart beat faster and harder as the reality crashed down that she was probably going to get Midna killed as well. An idiot, definitely, but there was nothing noble about anything she had done.

She jumped when she heard Zant shrieking. Looking towards Ganondorf and Zant, she saw that the former ducked down to evade the latter's blast of red magic. The spell zoomed through the air, over Ganondorf's head … and right at Ketura. Reflexively, she threw her own hand up to cast Nayru's Love around herself and Midna. Ketura briefly thought about deflecting the attack back at Zant, but decided against it once Ganondorf stood back up and lunged at his opponent. She let the attack hit her shield and explode, and she braced herself against the force of impact.

An idea suddenly came to her. It wasn't a particularly good one, she thought, but it was the only one she had.

"If he gets hit hard enough – or gets killed – do you think that would undo whatever he cast on you?" asked Ketura as she dropped her shield.

"It would," said Midna, "so how close is that to happening? Can you tell?"

The instant after Midna spoke, a loud _BOOM_ sounded off. Ketura saw the collision red and purple light in between Ganondorf and Zant, which resulted in a massive explosion of light and smoke. The force of it threw both combatants back, leading them to skid and slide before stopping so they could regain their footing. Zelda's body, which lay nearby, was close enough to the explosion to be affected by its force; as a result, she slid and rolled away, down the slope of the castle's roof, until she finally tumbled off the edge and fell out of view.

"I can't tell, but- but I can help make it happen sooner."

"No. Don't you dare. Ketura-"

"I'm not ready to give up yet," she said as she walked past Midna. Zant hurled a volley of dark bolts at Ganondorf, who scrambled to evade each of them by jumping to the side. As she watched Zant, Ketura felt an intense pang in her gut, accompanied by trembling in her hands and the all-consuming thought of how much she wanted to see his body added to the pile of broken ones lying on the roof of Hyrule Castle.

"Ketura, come back! Please!" Midna cried.

Zant turned on the spot, disappeared, and reappeared right behind Ganondorf. Ketura noticed near instantly and wasted no time in thrusting her hand forward with all her might and shooting a red bolt at him. The bolt hit Zant in the shoulder, and he flinched back slightly as he let out a cry. Ganondorf whipped himself around and saw Zant, and proceeded to punch him hard in the stomach. Zant recoiled and doubled over, and Ganondorf's eyes found Ketura.

"Changed your mind?" she asked him.

"I did, yes," he replied.

Before Ketura could let out some choice words about how helpful it would have been if he arrived just a few minutes earlier, she caught sight of Zant turning and vanishing. She turned herself around in a tight circle to see if he had reappeared anywhere near her. No sign of him. She look around hastily, checking around and behind Ganondorf, preparing herself to see him appear at any moment. She also caught sight of Midna zooming up and away towards the Master Sword, and she let out a sigh of relief. The last couple of hits Zant sustained must have done the trick, she thought.

"Where did he go?" she muttered, feeling increasingly apprehensive.

"I wouldn't put it past him to lay low for a while, to confuse and surprise us," commented Ganondorf. "Just keep your guard up and be alert … how badly are you hurt?"

"Uh, well, I got hit in the head a time or two. Maybe three? I don't know. But I'm still standing."

"Remain standing then." Ganondorf took his turn to scan the area in search of Zant. "I have done a little to weaken him, and together we should be able to finish him. Your primary focus should be on our defenses. Let me handle the offense."

"Got it," she said compliantly as she positioned herself to stand directly on his left. Both of them began looking around their respective halves of the area; Ketura looked up and down, focusing, hoping to find Zant quickly. She caught sight of Midna up by the Master Sword, who pulled on its hilt with all her might as she tried to dislodge it from the wall of the tower.

Suddenly, she saw him. Zant stood atop one of the castle's towers, looking directly at her. He flung his arms forward and unleashed a spray of bright red bolts at her, and she raised Nayru's Love around herself and Ganondorf. Each bolt pummeled the shield, and for good measure she bounced the last one back the direction from which it came. However, Zant turned on the spot and vanished, causing the redirected attack to crash into the side of the tower. He reappeared shortly after disappearing, standing atop of another of the castle's towers. As Zant leaped from that tower to the next one in a mighty bound, Ketura tapped Ganondorf's arm (he had been facing the other way) and pointed to where Zant was. Ganondorf then hurled a crackling sphere of red light at Zant, while Ketura held her hands out in front of her slightly. Upon seeing the sphere flying towards him, Zant turned and vanished again. Ketura turned her back to Ganondorf and began scanning the rooftops of the towers again, thinking that she would forget about sticking to defenses and go ahead and attack if she saw him.

After half a minute of nothing happening, she quietly asked "you see him yet?"

Instead of hearing Ganondorf say "yes" or "no," she heard him go "Aagh!" She whipped her head around just in time to see him fall and slam into the roof with a significant _thud_ , and Zant standing over him. Zant's right hand was closed in a fist and shrouded in a dark aura; the aura faded as he knelt beside the motionless Ganondorf and laid a slender finger against his neck.

"Not dead," he noted, "but he won't be able to help you anymore," he added with a laugh as he stood back up.

Ketura looked back at Zant with wide eyes, holding her breath, and feeling her stomach clench. How could she be so stupid, she asked herself. He had reappeared practically right next to her and she hadn't noticed. She took a couple of steps back, putting some space between herself and him, and made herself exhale. No matter how much she wished Ganondorf would immediately get back up, she knew it was unlikely he would.

Zant shot a green bolt of light at her, and she cast Nayru's Love again to protect herself and bounce the bolt back. Once the bolt ricocheted off the shield and flew at Zant, he jumped to the side to dodge it. Knowing she would have to conserve her energy, Ketura lowered her shield and took to evading the next round of magic attacks that Zant hurled at her, jumping side to side and ducking while clumsily moving herself in a circle around him in hopes of finding an opening to exploit. She managed to dodge all but the last two attacks; she tried redirecting a red sphere of light he shot at her to hit him, but he turned and vanished to avoid being hit. He reappeared just two feet away from her, and he thrust his hand forward to shoot a red sphere right into her side. She cried out in pain and doubled over, and it felt as if she had been stabbed in the side with a white-hot blade. Glancing down showed that she had begun bleeding where she had been hit, and the blood came from the same place where the jagged end of a rib protruded out of her skin and tunic. The surrounding area quickly saturated with red as blood poured out from the puncture.

"Are you ready to surrender now?" asked Zant.

Straightening her posture as much as she comfortably could, Ketura shook her head. "I'll never surrender to you," she spat.

"Tsk tsk, you delight in doing things the hard way, don't you?" Zant raised both arms above his head, looking up at them, and generated a large swirling black sphere. As he did, she kept moving herself backwards to get away from him, and considered a jump to her right as soon as the sphere came soaring towards her.

Something appeared in her peripheral vision, and she quickly glanced to it: Midna, holding the Master Sword, moving towards her as fast as she could. It was too easy; she could jump to the left instead of the right and get the sword from Midna, and Midna could help her finish the fight.

With an aggressive howl, Zant released the black sphere. Instead of aiming it at Ketura, he aimed it at Midna. Ketura had turned to her left as soon as she saw Zant launch his attack, but by the time she realized its true trajectory she didn't raise her hand to cast Nayru's Love fast enough. Midna saw it coming but she didn't stop or act in time. The sphere crashed into her, knocking her out of the air and onto the roof, and the Master Sword fell out of her hands. She screamed, and when she landed a loud _crack_ rang out.

Zant cackled.

"No!" Ketura ran towards Midna, but Zant pummeled the patch of roof in between the two of them with a volley of small red blobs. Pieces of shingle broke off as shrapnel and flew into the air, and Ketura stopped abruptly so she could shoot a spray of Din's Fire at him. Zant sidestepped to evade the flames, and returned her attack with one of his own. When she saw him send a blast of bright orange flames at her, Ketura jumped forward, kept falling until she caught herself with her hands, and rolled over a couple of times until she stopped to raise Nayru's Love around herself. She held it for as long as Zant continued shooting attack after attack at her, and she did her best to ignore the pain in her side that had only been inflamed by her rolling and pushing her broken rib into the hard shingles and cold wet snow. She also took the time to glance around; Midna was not too far away, lying down and breathing heavily as her skin turned paler. Even closer to Ketura still was the Master Sword. Zant moved closer to her as he carried out his offensive; each attack he shot at her hit the same spot on her shield, and she could feel both it and her energy weaken.

The last shot, a red bolt, broke Nayru's Love, fracturing it into thousands of blue crystalline shards and sending them flying out from the point of impact. As her shield broke, Ketura wasted no time in lunging towards the Master Sword, bending down, and picking it up.

Zant held up an arm in preparation to attack again, but paused when he saw Ketura holding the Master Sword. She expected him to go on a rant, or say something cocky, or throw a tantrum – instead, he smirked. He then lowered his arm and thrust it out, releasing a blob of red as he did. Suddenly remembering something she had seen Link do the night he was captured, Ketura held the Master Sword up and waited for the blob to get just close enough … and then she swung. The sword's blade swiped across, connecting with the red blob, and then the blob immediately reversed course to fly back at Zant. When it got close to him, Zant swatted it away and back at Ketura. She hit it back, and then he hit it back, and she inadvertently took a step closer to him with each swing of the blade, and punctuated each of her hits with a grunt or cry as the motions she took provoked the pain in her side.

As she got closer to Zant, the red blob came back faster and faster. For a split second she worried that she wouldn't be fast enough, but just after the thought crossed her mind she swung her weapon and hit it back at him – only that time _he_ wasn't fast enough. The blob hit Zant in the chest, causing him to stumble back and lose his footing temporarily. Seeing the stumble as her opportunity, Ketura charged. Zant saw her coming and held both arms out in preparation to attack again, but before he could do anything else she ran the Master Sword's blade through his stomach with all of her might. She let out an aggressive, pained cry that almost drowned out the sound of steel ripping through flesh. He shrieked in agony. Both of them were then silent.

Zant dropped his arms and stooped forward slightly. Ketura felt her heart race as she took in the sight of herself holding the hilt of a sword embedded in Zant's stomach, rapidly staining his midsection with dark thick blood. She still heard him breathe, so she pulled the blood-soaked blade out and then slashed him across the torso at a diagonal. He screamed again. She slashed him again, and he screamed again, and all she saw were faint flashes of silver steel and blood spraying out of the wounds she created. One for each of the five citizens of Castle Town whom he had turned into Shadow Beasts, one for Princess Zelda, one for Midna, one for Ganondorf-

He finally dropped to his knees, breath ragged, and head bowed until he looked up at Ketura. His bright, haunting orange eyes looked into hers, still burning with passion and hatred. He then opened his mouth, and let out a weak little laugh.

"Your father would be so proud of you," he said mockingly, finishing his sentence with another chuckle.

Ketura looked down at the Master Sword, and her hands and forearms, and the front of her tunic. The Master Sword was completely covered in his blood, and on her body his blood had intermingled with her own. She swallowed, tightened her grip on the hilt, and looked Zant dead in the eye.

"This one's for him." Ketura swung the sword up to her shoulder, then back down and across so that it deeply cut the front of Zant's throat, leaving behind a wide, deep gash. Blood poured out of it like a waterfall. He let out a few gags and retches, and then he stopped breathing. His eyes glazed over and lost focus. His body crumpled, unceremoniously hitting the roof.

She stood in place, looking down at him, waiting to see if he would get up. He didn't. Perhaps he was really dead, and he had finally gotten the violent end he deserved for causing harm to so many people. For a moment she considered cutting his body into pieces, as a means of ensuring he didn't come back, but she decided on a better way to fully dispose of his remains. Using the last of her magical energy, she cast Din's Fire at him, and watched as the fire caught onto his back and rapidly spread to consume the rest of him.

Ketura stepped back, putting some distance between herself and the intense heat the fire gave off, and she watched Zant's body burn for a few seconds. Engulfed by the bright hot flames, he shrunk and withered and turned black with ash and char. There would be no coming back from that, she told herself. Gone for good, never to torment her or anyone she cared about ever again. Her mind replayed a single thought: _he's gone, it's over._

A soft, tired moan caught her attention. She turned to the source of the noise: Midna, who lay on her side, with her eyes halfway shut and her small body struggling to breathe. Ketura broke away from the fire, sheathed the Master Sword, ran over to Midna, and dropped down by her side.

"Oh, Midna," she said, scooping Midna up into her arms and cradling her like a baby.

"Ketura," said Midna weakly. Her skin had turned a pale, sickly shade of gray.

"Shh, you're hurt. I- I have a Red Potion in my bag- I'll get it for you-"

"No," Midna interrupted. "No you use it. You look awful."

"But you'll die," Ketura protested. She thought of the force with which Zant had hit Midna and thrown her into the roof, and was amazed that the impact hadn't killed her immediately.

Midna's head bobbed forward slightly, as if she were trying to nod. "Link would want you to have it," she breathed.

Ketura bit her lip, thinking about how her father lay only yards away from her, and nodded.

"I have enough left … to help you … one last time," Midna continued. She held up a hand, wiggled her fingers, and a small blue crystal materialized in the air above her hand. "This will … take you back to Telma's. Bury him … live your life … learn to make better choices."

"I will, I promise," said Ketura. Her eyes flickered from the fire that consumed Zant, over to the unconscious Ganondorf, and then back down to Midna.

"He loved you so much, your dad … and I'm fond of you. Make us both proud, all right?"

"No, please don't- Midna- not you too-"

Midna strained to inhale, gasping for air as her body seized up. Once she had succeeded, her eyes relaxed, and she looked right up at Ketura. "Ketura … see you later …." She exhaled with a quiet sigh, and her eyes closed gently. Then, she was still.

All Ketura could do was gaze at Midna, processing what she had witnessed, again having difficulty accepting it. The roars of the flames filled her ears. Her side still hurt where her broken rib had poked through her skin. She smoothed her hand over Midna's hair; once orange and near fluorescent, it was now white and subdued. Midna looked like she was sleeping peacefully, not in any pain.

Small black particles emerged from Midna's skin and floated up into the air. More and more particles appeared and rose up, and as they did Midna's body dematerialized as it would during teleportation, until she was completely gone. Ketura was left there, kneeling, and transitioned from cradling the air to holding the small crystal Midna left behind tight in her hand. In that moment the world was still, oddly peaceful, and empty.

She glanced over her shoulder, saw that the fire still burned, and found Ganondorf again. She pushed herself to her feet, wobbled, and made her way over to Ganondorf. Gently placing her fingers on a vein in his neck allowed her to feel a pulse, and she sighed in both relief and pain. Although she would not let herself just leave him, she also knew she couldn't take both him and her father away with her. At least she ought to stay until he woke up, she thought.

From there, Ketura pushed herself up and looked around until she located her bag, which lay just inches from Link. A lump formed in her throat as she walked to her bag. Inside it, she found her Red Potion, and she drank it slowly. She groaned as she relived the pains of her blows to the head, the scrapes in her knee and hands, the fracture in her cheekbone, and her broken rib. She was soon completely healed, but the holes in her clothing and the blood splattered on her remained behind.

She let out a tired sigh, and then her eyes found Link. He lay where he had been dropped, his body still adorned with bruises and wounds inflicted upon him. Ketura knelt beside him and reached out a hand to his face. His skin was pale and cold as ice, a drastic difference from the warmth he once exuded.

"Dad …." What was the point, she asked herself. What was the point of coming to Hyrule Castle to save him, if she didn't save him? What was the point if he and Midna had died?

She brushed stray locks of hair out of his face. His eyes were closed, and she would never see the blue that matched hers again. His mouth, which once smiled, which he once used to tell her that he loved her, was now a stern closed line. It would never smile again. She would never hear his voice again.

After fifteen years of him being away, she got him back. And he was again gone, never to return. Knowing that hurt more than any injury Zant had inflicted upon her.

Ketura lost track of time as she gazed down at Link, gently stroking his hair, willing herself to think of him when he was alive and safe. She jumped when she heard someone shout "No!" Looking up, she saw Impa standing at the edge of the roof, with Colin and Talo climbing up behind her. Impa dashed over to Ketura and knelt by Link with her.

"LINK!" Talo cried out as he joined Impa and Ketura by Link's side. Colin stood frozen in place.

"What happened?" Impa asked, wearing her shock on her face. "I- we- Zelda- we saw Zelda fall, and- Zant?"

"He's on fire," said Ketura flatly.

Impa looked past Ketura; her expression changed from surprise to confusion. "Ganondorf?"

Ketura weakly shrugged her shoulders.

"Hmm … Midna?"

Ketura shook her head. "She's … gone. Dead, and her body just ... vanished."

Impa sighed.

"She left me this, she told me it'd take us back to Telma's," said Ketura as she showed Impa the crystal in her hand. "Where's everyone else?"

"Still hiding in the castle. I'll go to them, and you take him back." Impa said somberly.

"But Impa, what about-" Ketura began, nodding her head towards Ganondorf.

"No, you need to be somewhere safe right now." Impa patted Ketura on the shoulder and stood up to rejoin Colin. Talo stayed with her and Link, and tears fell from his eyes. Colin and Impa gave Ketura one last sorrowful look before lowering themselves over the edge of the roof to climb back down.

"I can't- oh- Link," Talo said shakily as he placed his hands on Link's chest. "He was supposed to be invincible."

Ketura sighed, and then she used her thumb to rub the crystal, thinking about Telma's flat. She, Link, and Talo were soon surrounded by black particles. As her body slowly floated up to teleport, she caught a glimpse of Ganondorf, who was pushing himself up to sit.

* * *

He did not expect the first thing he saw to be Ketura teleporting away, but that was still what he saw when he came to and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Except for fire that released thick smoke and the stench of burning flesh, Ganondorf realized he was alone. Zelda's body had been thrown from the roof during the battle, and Link's body was gone as well; he assumed Ketura took it with her. He was almost angry with her for leaving him, but she had left by Twili teleportation magic. It must have been Midna, for he saw no sign of her anywhere ….

His head swam, and his sternum ached from where Zant had struck him. He slowly remembered what had happened before being knocked out ….

Once again, things had worked out _almost_ perfectly for him. It was the _almost_ that was the most irksome. Zelda had died prematurely; Ketura had mentioned something about the Princess being married, but she did not mention of Zelda had any other family members or even any children with her husband. If history had been any indication, the Triforce of Wisdom stayed within Hyrule's Royal Family, and if there was nobody else … or maybe he would just have to watch closely, to see who would step up and claim the throne.

Ganondorf stood up and walked over to the fire and watched it burn. By process of elimination, he assumed that the ashen heap surrounded by the flames had once been Zant. Never had he imagined that some insignificant Twili with delusions of grandeur would cause such a headache, and yet that was exactly what Zant did. It was, to him, as if Zant tried too hard to become like the false god he so devoted himself to.

Satisfied, he smirked. Ketura had done well then, as he assumed she was the one to finish Zant. Although he wished he had been the one to deliver the final blows himself, he was still pleased by the thought that the one he trained had done it.

Yet his primary hope for her would not come to pass after all. Finding the new possessor of the Triforce of Courage would be much harder than the Triforce of Wisdom. Was it a matter of her character that prevented her from receiving it, he wondered, or was it something else? Regardless, he couldn't justify abandoning her, especially as he stood before the last person he abandoned. No – perhaps she had extended family somewhere in Hyrule, or she knew any other people in the rebellion or in Castle Town who were exceptionally courageous. She could still be of use to him. At the very least, she had earned the right to be rewarded, to delight in victory with him when the time came. Her father had died, and once she had finished grieving, maybe she would be ready to return to him. Impa and the others would not be able to keep her away from him forever. She belonged at his side, and he belonged at hers.

The Goddesses made a mistake, he thought sourly. Nobody deserved the Triforce of Courage more than Ketura Lykos.

The flames that consumed Zant gradually died down, leaving behind a pile of black ash and a radius of wet shingles from where snow had melted. Something golden and bright rose from the ash, glowing brilliantly with a divine light. The light concentrated into the shape of a triangle, with red and gold auras pulsing outward from its center. He looked upon it in awe, and as if he was seeing an old friend after a long time apart. He briefly questioned if it was rightly his in the first place, since he was not the one to vanquish its previous holder, and then he reminded himself how it was stolen in the first place and thus the rightful ownership had never changed. He held out his hand and pressed it against the golden triangle. It instantly vanished, shrinking in on itself.

Ganondorf's right hand glowed golden for a few seconds, and then the crest of the Triforce appeared on the back of his right hand, with the topmost triangle of the crest glowing the brightest.

Utterly delighted, he laughed. The Triforce of Power was his once more.


	37. Thirty-Six

**THIRTY-SIX**

After rematerializing in Telma's flat, Ketura sat with her arms hugging her knees to her chest, looking down at the floor and the area rug that she was surely staining with some of the blood on her body. She heard Talo murmur "I can't believe it, good Gods above."

It was then dead silent for a few minutes. She didn't want to look up from the spot on the rug where she fixed her eyes, because she knew immediately what would catch her attention, and she had already seen enough of it. Yet try as she might, the memories of all that had just happened would not leave her mind: Link lying battered and dead, the malice and menace in Zant's bright orange eyes, the pain he caused her, the fact that Ganondorf was still on the roof of Hyrule Castle, the way Midna's body just vanished, Link again –

A door opened, followed by a short, hair-raising scream. Ketura looked up and saw Telma with her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide as she took in the sight before her.

"Wha- wha- what happened?" Telma asked, horrified. "Ketura, honey, are you all right?"

Ketura nodded.

"And Link, are you … Link?" Telma drew closer and got a better look at Link, and her face fell as she realized what she saw. "No … no … Link … no …." She dropped to her knees beside Link, scooped him into her arms, buried her face in his hair and sobbed. All Ketura could do was watch as a pit formed in her stomach, and she thought that maybe if she remained behind like she was supposed to, things would have turned out differently.

At the same time, it all seemed too surreal, as if there was no conceivable way in the world that everything that happened had indeed happened. The reality of it all had yet to sink in – and perhaps it didn't have to. Link didn't have to stay dead, she told herself. She knew that people could be brought back, because she had done it, and all she needed was that stone- she couldn't remember its name- and had she really just killed Zant, or was she for some reason imagining a fight on the roof of Hyrule Castle with her stabbing and slashing him to death and then setting his body on fire?

She sat there, shifting her eyes to look at her lap, lost in her own mind, not keeping track of time. Eventually, she heard Telma say "We- we should move him," and she looked up to see Telma holding Link under his arms while Talo got his legs, and together they carried him into the second bedroom. Ketura followed behind them, grabbing the blanket off the couch as she went. Inside the bedroom, Telma and Talo lay Link down on the bed and folded his hands on his chest.

"We'll need to bury him," said Telma.

"The others will be back soon. We can have a funeral," replied Talo.

"Where would we bury him? Ordon?"

"In the Kakariko Village graveyard, next to my mom," said Ketura as she approached the two of them, standing next to Telma. "When we were both sick, the town went ahead and designated two spots in the graveyard for us … Mom's in one, and the other is supposed to be for me, but I want him to be there. They can be together again."

Telma nodded. "Sure, hon," she said as she rested her hand on Ketura's shoulder.

"I- I'd like a minute alone with him," said Ketura.

"Of course. Then maybe you should clean yourself up." With that, Telma and Talo turned to leave. Once they were gone, Ketura took the blanket and lay it over the bottom half of Link and stopped before stretching it over his top half. Again, it struck her how he looked as if he were sleeping, and he could have woken up at any moment. She watched him for a moment, thinking maybe he would, maybe if she stared hard enough his eyes would flutter open and all of his wounds would miraculously heal themselves.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand into hers; it was stiff and ice-cold, but she held onto it and stroked it like it was the most precious thing she had ever held. Sitting there in silence, holding his hand, she tried to think of what she would say to him if he could hear her. Heartfelt confessions, apologies, explanations, excuses – none of it stuck. It didn't matter though, she thought. He was gone and wouldn't be able to hear or appreciate anything else she had to say to him, even at his funeral.

A _funeral_. Reality slowly began to sink in.

Ketura held his hand up to her mouth and kissed it, then laid it back on his chest. She then leaned in and kissed his forehead. "I love you, Dad," she whispered. Before leaving the room, she covered the rest of him with the blanket.

* * *

The next day, a group of people made the journey to Kakariko Village from Castle Town. Telma carried Link in her covered wagon, placing him in a plain wooden coffin because that was all she could find on such short notice. ("He deserves better than this," she lamented) Luda and Colin cleaned his body and his green tunic, and even stitched up the tears in the fabric and his wounds. While Ketura rode in the wagon with Luda, Colin, Talo, and Malo, Impa and another following of some rebels trailed behind, all wearing black cloaks and hoods. Ketura wore a black dress and a cloak she had found in the closet of the flat's spare bedroom. Impa advised her to put the cloak's hood over her head anytime she stepped out of the wagon, to keep herself warm as well as hidden.

She hadn't been to Kakariko in months, not since the day that Hylian soldiers had summoned her for an audience with Princess Zelda, but she didn't bother to look out the wagon to see if anything in the town had changed. Odds were nothing would have, except for the fact that her house was no longer there. Even if her house was still standing, she didn't know if she could bring herself to visit it. It would serve as the reminder of how her life had once been, long ago, before everything around her changed into something she could never imagine in her wildest dreams. She reflected on how she wanted to sell that house and use the money to leave Hyrule and explore far-off lands before settling down somewhere and studying at a university, and then becoming a writer. Now, she would settle for making it through the day with her limbs and sanity intact. Those things she dreamed of doing just months ago seemed so distant and insignificant.

There was one place in the village that she had not visited in years, and had no intention of visiting ever again until the moment she stood right there: the Kakariko Graveyard, more specifically her mother's grave. A tombstone read _Ilia Ordonia, beloved mother and friend_ followed by the dates of birth and death. Next to Ilia's grave was an empty spot, where Colin and Talo began digging as Ashei engraved a slab of stone with the words _Link Lykos, father, friend, and Hero of Hyrule_ followed by the dates of birth and death and a crude engraving of the Triforce insignia. As they worked, Ketura helped Telma and her siblings haul the coffin out of the back of the wagon and set it down close to the gravesite, where everyone else stood in a circle around it.

Impa gave the first eulogy, talking about Link's virtues and heroism and good heart. Ketura didn't pay much attention. She kept her eyes on the coffin, the plain wooden box that would hold her father for the rest of eternity in a deep hole in the ground. The idea of being buried always disturbed her; she wanted her body burned when she died. Then again, she supposed that once she was dead she would not know or care what became of her physical remains.

Her mind wandered some more, through things she could say about Link and to Link, and more possibilities of what she could have done differently. Eventually, she concluded that no matter what, she should have just listened to him. Maybe if she did avoid Ganondorf like he wanted, stayed cooped up and out of sight, and did not try to get involved, he and Midna would still be alive. She should have just let the others handle everything, even any problems she caused. They were more capable, and Impa may have brought Link back alive. She really was dumb, just like Midna had said.

Colin and Talo took a break from digging and joined the circle next to Luda. After wiping dirt off his hands, Colin cleared his throat. "I've known him my entire life," he began calmly. "I looked up to him. He always had my back … we'd go fishing, back when we were kids. I made him his own fishing rod, even, and the first thing he did with it was catch a fish for the shopkeeper's cat." Colin paused so he could sniffle. His eyes glistened with tears. "He was my biggest inspiration. Hopefully one day I can be as strong and brave and good-hearted as he was, but if it weren't for him I know I wouldn't be the man I am today. He- he was my best friend and- my hero." Tears fell from his eyes as he continued, and when he was done he leaned into Luda's comforting embrace.

Talo spoke next. "I, well we all grew up in Ordon Village together. Link was a few years older than the rest of us, working on the goat ranch and then riding his horse and practicing with his sword in his spare time. Like Colin, Link inspired me to be better. His first, well, blatant act of heroism that I can recall was when he saved me and a forest monkey from some Bokoblins that had been hanging around the Faron Woods. Then we were all kidnapped, and I don't think he slept until he made sure we were all safe. And until all Hyrule was safe, too. I think if more people were like Link, Hyrule would be a better place. He always put others first, and nothing was too big a challenge for him. Well, except maybe parenthood. I remember him freaking out a little bit when Ilia got pregnant, but-" he chuckled, then glanced over to Ketura. "He was crazy about you when you were born. You have no idea. If he had the chance, he would have been the best dad ever."

Ketura nodded in acknowledgement. She didn't feel like smiling, much less laughing in return. She zoned out again as Ashei began her eulogy.

"I first met Link at Telma's, during a meeting of our group. He was young, but looked like he had already seen a lifetime's worth of action. And then he approached me later about climbing Snowpeak, during a blizzard, with a giant Yeti coming down to Zora's domain on a regular basis doing gods-knows-what. I helped him out, but I figured he was crazy. But you know, I think all the best people are a little crazy …."

She tried to imagine that alternate reality where Link had been present during her childhood. It was hard, though, as if it just wasn't meant to be. And it wasn't fair, she thought, how she only got a couple of months to know him while everyone else had known him for much longer than that. She grew up hearing all the stories, waited to see if she ever got the chance to meet him, finally did meet him right when she was ready to give up … only to have it all snatched away from her. She would never get to see the Link who caught a fish for a cat, or the Link who herded goats, or the Link who was anxious about becoming a father ….

She caught Ashei saying something about how he would be greatly rewarded by the Goddesses in heaven, and her mood fell even further. According to the one person she knew who had actually been dead for a long time, there was no afterlife. No heaven, no hell. No great divine reward awaited Link, just bleak nothingness. He wouldn't be reunited with Ilia or anyone else who went before him, just like when Ketura died she wouldn't be reunited with either of her parents. He was simply gone.

When Ashei was finished, she looked directly at Ketura. "Do you want to say something?"

Ketura shook her head. "No."

Telma volunteered to go next, and as she spoke Ketura felt her chest grow tight and her stomach heavy.

"I first met Link when he escorted me to this village, to find help for Ilia and a sick Zora boy who happened to be their Prince. When all of the Hylian soldiers were spineless cowards, he stepped up and rose to the occasion. I was impressed by his skills and his courage. He only kept outdoing himself from there, leading up to what he did to be thrown in prison. His refusal to kill innocent Gerudos made him one of the precious few people I know who has my unconditional trust and respect. Link was a hard worker, a good person, who always strived to do the right thing, and he never quit no matter how tough things seemed. I am proud to have been his friend."

Telma held a hand up to her mouth, stifling a sob. Ketura noticed how her face was wet with tears and splotched red in places, and she moved in to hug Telma. Telma reciprocated, resting her cheek on the top of Ketura's head. The two of them stood in their embrace as Luda read a passage out of the Accords of the Goddesses: "Death is no evil, death is no good. It is the way of all who walk the earth. From the Goddesses you came, and to the Goddesses you shall return." Colin, Talo, Ashei, and Impa picked up the coffin and gently lowered it into the grave. Luda kept reading as everyone else formed a line behind the pallbearers, waiting their turn to take the shovel and scoop dirt into the grave. Ketura and Telma eventually joined the line; the line curved into a circle, and Ketura watched the grave fill with more dirt as she waited her turn to throw in some more.

"The Goddesses provide for me, and I want for nothing. They give the sun, and the grass, and the still waters. They heal my soul and bring me peace. Though I may walk paths in the shadow of evil and death, I will fear nothing, for they are with me. Blessings will follow me through my life, and I will then dwell in their presence forever."

Soon, they all stood before Link's grave: a rectangular patch of brown dirt surrounded by grass and snow, accompanied by a headstone. After standing in reverent silence for a few moments, or uttering prayers under their breath, people turned away and headed back to the entrance of the graveyard, going in pairs or small groups, arms around each other and faces wet from crying. Ketura stayed behind, looking at his headstone, thinking that perhaps as a Hero he deserved a grand tomb in a place of prominence. But none of the other Heroes had grand tombs – the remains of the Hero of Time were apparently never found, and she couldn't think of where any of the others had been buried. Maybe it was part of being a Hero, not getting a worthy resting place, yet she felt like he deserved so much better than what she provided.

"I- I want a minute," Ketura said to Telma. With a sad, knowing look on her face, Telma nodded before she pulled Ketura into another short hug.

Ketura stood by and watched as the others trickled away from the gravesite back into the village. Telma and Impa stood by at the entrance to the graveyard, watching both Ketura and the area immediately outside. Otherwise, she was the only living thing left in the graveyard; in the cold winter environment, there were no birds or bugs or even Keese up in the bare trees, whose branches wore caps of snow that matched the ones on the tombstones of those who rested under the earth.

From a young age, she had wanted her parents to be reunited, but not the way that they had just been. Her mother and father should have waited at least fifty years before sharing graves beside one another. She stared at her mother's tombstone, which was only a couple of years old but looked worn and ancient compared to the one that had just been erected, and thought of the bygone days they were together. Ilia had been kind and warm, hard-working, self-sacrificing, and made the best of a difficult situation. Her green eyes sparkled in the sunlight, she would contort her beautiful face into funny forms to entertain her young daughter, and she was gone too soon.

"Hi Mom." Ketura rested her hand on top of Ilia's tombstone. "I know I don't visit- or I haven't visited at all, not since your … funeral. And now I'm talking to you like you can hear me …. I finally got to meet Dad, but he- he-" She paused. "Everything has changed so much. I've seen things and done things I didn't know I could do, and now I don't know what the future holds for me. I miss you." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I wish I could see you again one day, and I wish you were here now, to hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay."

She hoped that everything was a long, ugly dream. That she would wake up and be twelve years old again, with her mother alive and in good health, and that Link had never been in prison but off doing work for Princess Zelda like she had always believed. That Zant would never come around to torment them, and that her life would be simple and safe and happy.

Next, she caught a glimpse of Link's tombstone, the newest and smoothest among the stones of the graveyard. Just two days ago he had been alive and well – scolding her after catching her out in Hyrule Field, though, but still alive and well, and even if it had only been two days it felt like an eternity ago. She tried to think of him as the man who optimistically talked about a ranch house in Ordona Province on a patch of land with goats and horses, or the man who indulged his nostalgia by telling stories of his adventures … but all she could see in her mind was the man who lay broken and bloody and bruised on the roof of Hyrule Castle. His weak voice, begging her to leave, filled her ears.

She stepped over to Link. "Dad … I'm so sorry," she whimpered. "I should have listened to you. About everything. I didn't. I thought I knew better, and that I could help you, but I couldn't. I couldn't help you. I failed. You wouldn't be able to forgive me, if you knew what all I had done. But if I could go back I'd do everything differently, and you'd be alive, and we could live that quiet peaceful life you wanted." She sniffled, glanced between her parents' tombstones, and let out a sad chuckle. "It's funny, the first magic I ever did was bringing someone back from the dead. Of all the people I could have … if I could do it again, I would, for both of you …."

"I hope I can become someone you'd be proud of," said Ketura as she lay her right hand on the top of Link's tombstone, "who you could happily say was your daughter … I'm going to miss you, Dad."

Ketura stood in silence for a moment, looking down at her father's grave, lost in thought. When a soft, warm golden glow began to emanate from her right hand, she looked at it quizzically. The golden glow gradually intensified, and in surprise she lifted her hand up into the air. After a moment, the glow subsided, and on the back of her hand she saw the Triforce Crest, as golden as the glow that brought it about, with the bottom-right triangle shining the brightest.

Cautiously, she ran the fingers of her left hand over the crest on her right. The fabric of her glove didn't feel different to her; in fact, she didn't feel different in any way. She recalled the Triforce Crest on the back of her father's hand, and Zelda's hand, and Zant's hand … what had become of the Triforce of Power, she wondered. The Triforce of Wisdom would likely pass to another member of the Royal Family, which led her to an easy conclusion. Easy, yet confusing. Why her, and why now? Was it the Goddesses' way of giving her something of her father's, to help remember him? Did they want her to do something with it?

She looked over to the graveyard's exit, seeing that Telma and Impa still waited there, and she was curious to know if they saw her hand glow or not. She made eye contact with Telma, who was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief yet otherwise looked as somber as she had been all day. Impa had her back turned to Telma, focusing on something beyond the graveyard. Figuring that there was nothing else to be accomplished by staying longer, Ketura ran her hand along the top of each of her parents' headstones again before joining Telma's side. Arms around one another, the two went with Impa back to the wagon, where everyone else waited in mournful silence. Ketura climbed into the wagon with Luda and Colin, taking one last look around Kakariko before she did; she found the spot where her house once stood, which had been reduced to nothing but an empty plot of land. Nothing else in the village had changed, but it seemed like a foreign place. It didn't look or feel like home to her. Her hope of ever having a home again lay sleeping under the earth.

"What's this?" Luda asked suddenly as she took Ketura's right hand and inspected the Triforce crest, and her eyes widened in awe and recognition. "Colin, look!" she whispered excitedly, and Colin's jaw dropped when he peered over his wife's shoulder to take a look.

"Is that the Trifor-?" Colin asked. Luda shushed him loudly.

Ketura nodded. "It is, yeah. Some inheritance, huh?"

"Possibly. Our darkest moments are often the times that the Goddesses choose to bestow their greatest blessings," commented Luda.

"Maybe," replied Ketura absentmindedly. She didn't know if the Triforce of Courage truly counted as a blessing; all she knew was that it was hers, and in the time to come she would have to figure out what she was meant to do with it. Following exactly in Link's footsteps wasn't an option, but the example he set had to be a good place to start.


	38. Thirty-Seven

**THIRTY-SEVEN**

In the four days following Zant's death, Castle Town's water supply was clean again, free of any sign of contamination or disease, and free of any rational explanation as to how that could happen. As they scratched their heads and questioned the how and the why, the city's residents resumed business as usual; as a result, most everyone smelled much nicer from finally being able to take a bath, less children complained about being thirsty, and their parents filled up bottles to store some water away, on the off chance that the water would become contaminated again.

The incidence of Cucco flu in Castle Town also decreased gradually, as people recovered from the illness faster than new patients became infected. While there was still not enough medicine to go around, many of those who fell ill had been given bottles of soup from generous strangers. There was something about that soup, people said, that changed everything: not only did their fevers break and their symptoms disappear completely after consuming it, but they found themselves feeling completely renewed, and filled with energy and vitality. Where did the elixir-like soup come from, people asked.

Making the soup was about the only thing Ketura did in the days following her father's funeral. She would spend three to four hours a night laying down in the flat, seeing if she would finally sleep, until it was time to get up and head into the bar's kitchen to work. If what the Castle Town branch of the Liberation Movement had told her was true, the soup really was helping people get over the flu. That news renewed a small sense of hope and significance in her, now that she knew that there was a feasible way to save peoples' lives. She kept her hands busy and her mind busy, for as she waited for that soup to simmer she would also assist Telma with preparing food for bar patrons and washing their dishes. Kitchen work hadn't been her favorite activity in the past, but now it had become a sort of refuge. In there, it didn't matter that Castle Town had just been freed from the terror that was Zant, or that she was the one who killed him, or that she had inherited the Triforce of Courage from her father, or that she didn't know what to do about Ganondorf. In there, the question of what to do next did not exist.

* * *

"Ketura, can you spare a minute to talk to me?"

Telma entered the bar's kitchen and found Ketura standing over the giant cauldron, stirring potato cubes into the broth. Ketura looked up to the older woman, delighted to get her face away from hot steam and smoke for a moment of time.

"Yes?" she asked tiredly, pushing the sleeves of her sweater up over her elbows. She found the sweater and a new pair of pants while going through the closet in the flat's spare bedroom; the pants fit fine, but the sweater was too big and its sleeves were too long.

"When was the last time you slept, hun?" Telma asked with a motherly kind of concern. "You're in here from sunrise to the wee hours, slaving over that cauldron. Not that I don't appreciate the extra help, but … you ought to get some rest. I can handle the soup and the rest of the kitchen just fine."

Ketura glanced back down at the soup, thinking that it would need to simmer for two hours, and that it would be better to get Telma off her case now rather than later. "Okay, thanks," she said. "It just needs to simmer for a couple of hours. Give it a stir from time to time. Then I'll need to add the … the secret ingredient."

Going from the kitchen along the back walls of the bar to avoid being in the middle of the bar and its noisy lunchtime crowd, Ketura made her way back up to the flat and sat herself down on the couch in the living room. Instead of sleeping, or trying to read, she stared on a fixed point across the room: the hilt of the Master Sword, propped against the wall. After gazing at the sword with her mind wandering, she stood back up and meandered through the flat. If she were hungry, she may have taken a pastry from the pile of them set out on the kitchen table, but she abstained. On the table next to the plate of pastries lay an open envelope, and the corner of a pictograph stuck out of the envelope's mouth. She pulled the pictograph the rest of the way out and held it at the edges.

The pictograph depicted Link, looking much younger: around nineteen years old, with the scar on the left side of his face darker and more prominent than it had been in his later years. He sat in a wooden rocking chair, leaning all the way back, his eyes closed and a serene look on his face, and a small blanket-wrapped baby in his arms and resting on his chest. The baby had a little face with chubby cheeks, closed eyes, and tufts of hair on her head. On the bottom edge of the pictograph was a handwritten caption: _Link with baby Ketura, 2/2/81._

Tears filled Ketura's eyes. She dropped to the ground, curled up in a ball, and she cried. She didn't remember when that pictograph was taken, being a sleeping baby at the time and all, but she knew she would never feel that safe or loved ever again. The one man who was supposed to protect her from the evils of the world had been destroyed by them, and she failed to save him. Her shoulders shook with her sobs, her heart ached, and the weight of reality and grief crushed her. Link was gone, and she would give anything – even the Triforce of Courage – to have him back.

Why did the Goddesses give it to her, she wondered. Later that night, Ketura returned to the kitchen to get back to work on the soup, and at one point she stopped chopping potatoes just to look at the back of her hand. The Triforce crest sat there, like a divine tattoo, a mark, an affliction, a stain. What was she supposed to do with it anyway? Did it grant her special powers? Ever since she got it she didn't feel especially braver or more inclined to perform acts of heroism. She wondered what she had done to deserve it, because she didn't feel like it was rightfully hers at all.

She bottled up the last batch of soup and started cleaning out the cauldron for the night when she heard the pantry door open. Mildly startled, Ketura turned around to see Impa emerging, followed by all three of Telma's siblings, Colin, Luda, Talo, and Ashei. Impa stopped abruptly when she saw Ketura at the cauldron.

"Ketura … I didn't expect to see you here," began Impa. "Still hard at work on that soup, I see. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Ketura replied automatically. In reality, she felt far from fine, but she didn't know how to express that.

Impa took a few steps towards Ketura, allowing the others to step out of the pantry into the kitchen. "We have all come here to talk to you, and I assume you know what I want to talk about."

A lump formed in Ketura's throat. "Yes."

"Come along, then." Impa gestured to the door leading out to the bar before taking off towards it. Ketura followed, feelings of dread and apprehension growing inside of her. She expected everyone to judge her, to call her stupid like Midna had, to let her know how devastated her father would be if he knew. It didn't even help to tell herself that it was finally time to do what she had originally set out to do, which was to share all of the information she had gathered over the past couple of months.

She sat down at an empty seat at the head of the table, with Telma opposite of her at the other end. The others all sat on either side of her, with pencils and blank pieces of paper on the table in front of them. Nabira, Levali, and Zahrain looked down at their paper so that they would not have to look at her; Luda, Colin, Talo, and Telma all looked concerned. Impa stood behind Ketura, arms crossed, expression steeled.

"All right, Ketura, are you ready?" asked Impa.

Ketura nodded.

"Then start talking. I want to know _everything._ From the very beginning."

She made herself take a deep breath, wondering how much of what all had happened between herself and Ganondorf would make it into "everything." Some things, she saw no reason to include, but at the same time she saw no reason to omit them.

"I brought him back from the dead."

Everyone at the table suddenly snapped to attention, looking shocked and disgusted.

"It was an accident, though. I was walking home across the field that night, and there was this hole in the ground, and a dead person's face, and a magic stone that glowed when I said a prayer-"

"A Baetha stone?" Levali interrupted her.

"Oh, that's its name, okay, yeah," said Ketura.

"Cult of Dragmire, I bet," murmured Nabira.

Ketura then recounted what else happened that night: how she ran home after seeing someone rise from the dead, how he followed her home to figure out who she was, how she discovered who _he_ was, and his interest in finding her father. From there, she talked about how he followed her to Castle Town when the escort of soldiers took her to see Princess Zelda. As she talked, she noticed that people took notes on what she said. She paused momentarily, distracted by watching Luda's pencil glide across paper.

"What happened next?" Talo asked.

She looked over to him. "Nothing. He just let me go, and I left. I thought I'd go back to the castle and tell Zelda I had seen him, and then you all blew up a tower and I couldn't get there. I didn't see him again until I came to the Hidden Village with my dad."

"I remember how slimy the whole thing was," said Ashei as she jotted something on his paper. "He just shows up and says he wants to join us and work with us, with very little explanation other than 'we have the same goals.' Same goals my foot."

"And _none_ of you thought to just send him back to hell the moment you saw him?" said Telma, clearly displeased. She shot Impa a dirty look.

"I thought that as long as he stayed in line he could be useful," said Impa defensively. Zahrain scoffed, while Levali snorted derisively and Nabira rolled her eyes.

"He offered to teach me how to use magic!" Ketura blurted out. "And apparently there's no afterlife … but anyway." She went on, sharing the stories of her secret midnight magic instructions.

" _Why_ though? Why teach _you?_ " Zahrain asked incredulously.

"Because … he told me that he was in my debt for bringing him back. And I wanted to learn."

"One of my sisters could have done that!" Telma sighed while waving her hand to the twins, who shook their heads in response.

"I'm not the teaching type," said Levali.

"You think it might be the Baetha attachment theory?" Nabira asked her sister.

"The what?" Ketura asked.

"There's debate on whether it's real or not, because the only evidence is one story about the sorceress Baetha and a woman she resurrected. But it's the idea that anyone you bring back from the dead will feel indebted because of what you did for them, and also have a special fondness for you. It's possible that is what happened. Did he ever act like that at all?"

What Nabira said seemed odd and almost ludicrous to Ketura, but the more she thought on it the more sense it made. "I guess that could be the case," she said tentatively. "I mean, he'd give me his cloak at night so I wouldn't be cold, and he'd bring me gifts from time to time-"

"What kind of gifts?" Telma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are they upstairs in my flat right now?"

"Yes," said Ketura. As Telma's face turned an angry red, she quickly continued. "That's where I got the recipe for Red Potion, and I've been putting it in the soup that we've been giving to sick people …."

"We're getting off track," Impa cut in. "Anyway, what happened after you got back from the Faron Woods with the Master Sword?"

Ketura sighed, then started talking again, pausing after recounting how Ganondorf had wanted her to leave the Hidden Village with him to go look for Zant.

"You did the right thing then," commented Luda. Ketura nodded in appreciation.

"I'd still hardly call any of this the right thing," grumbled Zahrain.

"Well it's not unusual for teenagers to be impressionable and have bad judgment," said Luda.

"Yes, but we're not talking about typical stupid teenager stuff here. This is serious!"

"Adults get duped too, you know," Luda countered.

"I know, I've reached a completely new level of stupid, haven't I?" asked Ketura acerbically. She felt like she was on trial, although she knew that they probably wouldn't punish her in any way.

"ANYWAY, you didn't know then what it was he wanted with you?" Impa asked forcefully, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"No. I still don't." Ketura replied.

"All right then. What next?"

"That's basically it. Every night the next few weeks, I'd go out at midnight, meet him, practice magic, sometimes he'd try and talk me into going off with him again and I said no every time. Then the Hylian army attacked the village."

"And after the rest of us escaped and fought off Zant's monsters in the field, he came to the meeting point and brought an unconscious you with him," Impa recalled. "What happened before that point?"

"I, uh," Ketura strained her memory, trying to remember what happened, until she settled for what she already knew. "I don't remember much. There were those shadow beasts, and I was running, and at some point Zant hit me in the face. I woke up in that underground cave where we all were hiding." She paused and looked around the table. Everyone except Telma were writing on their paper; Telma, still red-faced, leaned back in her chair with her arms folded tight across her chest. Ketura glanced back up to Impa, who gave her a short nod.

She kept talking, going on to describe how Link brought her to the Spirit Spring outside Ordon Village with hope that the Light Spirit there would protect her, how Zant terrorized Ordon Village and she stepped in, and how she lured Zant into the Sacred Grove to be harassed by Skull Kid so she could escape.

"Then Zant must have somehow found his way to that bridge, and he told his shadow beast minions to look all over Hyrule for Dad and me. I stayed under the bridge for a while, just to be safe … and then Ganondorf showed up there. He was talking to a Bulbin, about joining up forces I guess, but the Bulbin said no because I insulted him-"

"Stop. Join forces? Why?" asked Colin.

Ketura sighed, then looked up to Impa. "He told me he was going to start raising an army for your use. Bulbins were the first ones he went for, and when I asked him when he planned on telling you about the army, I'd get the usual answer of 'when the time is right.'"

Impa scoffed. "Bulbins? Why would I want _them?_ Why would I want any army when I'm already surrounded by very strong, capable people?"

"Unless," said Ashei, "this army wouldn't be for _us_."

A heavy silence fell on the room. Ketura felt several pairs of eyes on her, burning their judgments into her with their gaze, probably wondering how blind and naïve she had been this whole time to not clearly see what was going on. She had had her suspicions, of course, but had wanted to wait for them to be confirmed before saying anything to anyone. Surely they would all understand that.

"Did he succeed in building his army?" Impa asked warily.

Ketura hesitated before answering. "Yes. He's gotten several packs of Lizalfos, and Moblins, and Darknuts, and the Cult of Dragmire to join him."

"He found the Cult! Just wonderful!" snapped Zahrain. His outburst drew Ketura's attention; her eyes flickered over to the twins, and she remembered something else.

"Oh, and Amal … she's working with him. She even passed a message between us one time," said Ketura.

"Well I'm not surprised," scoffed Levali.

Impa, looking quite grim, cleared her throat. "How many are in this army?"

"I don't know," said Ketura.

"This is one hell of a problem," sighed Ashei. "An army. No idea how many there are, or what he plans to attack, or when …." She looked at Ketura. "Did you stop meeting him after you came here?"

After giving Telma a remorseful look, Ketura said "No. There's that overlook of Lake Hylia, with the stone ruins and that big owl statue, and we'd meet there and carry on as usual. I can kind of use a sword now, and as always I never got direct answers for any questions I asked him, and then I finally told him that unless he told me everything about his plans I wouldn't be part of them."

"So then you stopped training?" inquired Levali.

"No, that kept going. I thought that maybe, eventually, he'd think it would be easier to just tell me what he's got up his sleeve. The, uh, the only time I got a direct answer was when he asked me to brew a Growth Potion for a Molgera worm."

"What's he doing with a Molgera worm?!" Zahrain was surprised and livid.

Stunned, and harboring a feeling that nobody would like what she was about to say, Ketura said "Freeing the Earth and Wind Sages."

"Telma, get your Gossip Stone and get a hold of Auru now. Have him send teams to the Earth and Wind Temples." Impa said with desperate urgency. Telma pulled her blue Gossip Stone from her apron pocket, stood up, and walked briskly away from the table as she rubbed the stone.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Impa asked Ketura. "The Earth and Wind Sages need to stay in their respective Temples. It's their duty to pray for the divine power of the Master Sword. If they are removed in any way, the sword becomes dull and loses its ability to vanquish darkness!"

Ketura shrunk into her seat in response to Impa's words. Behind her, she heard Telma speak hurriedly to Auru.

"The words he used were 'free the Sages?'" asked Talo. Ketura turned her eyes to him and nodded apprehensively.

"But what do we do if he succeeds?" asked Luda.

"Whatever we can, however we can," said Ashei. "That's all we can do."

"Wait- are you saying-" Ketura paused, unsure of how she was going to finish the sentence.

"That someone's got to put him back in the ground? Damn right that's what I'm saying," said Ashei bluntly.

"…Oh."

"And trust me, kid, this'll be doing you a favor, especially since I'm not asking you to do it yourself." Ashei leaned forward and looked Ketura dead in the eye. "He's not your friend. He's not on your side. He's using you, for reasons that only the Gods seem to know, and it's not going to end well for you if you even think about keeping this up."

Ketura leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table to prop up her forearms, and cradled her forehead in her hands. She wondered if Ganondorf had said "free the Sages" when he meant something else entirely. If so, she would be complicit in killing at least two people. In addition, this had been the third time she had heard an outsider's opinion on her relationship with Ganondorf; Ashei had said the same things that Zant and Midna told her previously, and if all three of them were seemingly in agreement then perhaps it was the truth. She sighed, racked her brain once more to think if there was _anything_ about her that could potentially be exploited besides her apparent stupidity and lack of discernment, and speculated that the Goddesses should perhaps transfer the Triforce of Courage to Ashei.

"Is there anything else we should know?" Impa asked.

Ketura lifted her head and looked up at Impa. She didn't say anything at first, and took note of Impa's furrowed brow and worry-filled eyes. Nothing immediately came to mind to share, until she clasped her hands together tightly.

"After Zant took my dad, I ran back out to Hyrule Field to look for him. Ganondorf was there, and the first thing he asked me to do was to show him my hands. He refused to help save Dad at first, but then offered to if I'd stay with him for the rest of my life."

In unison, everyone at the table glanced down at the Triforce crest on the back of Ketura's hand. Telma's eyes widened. Ketura heard the rapid scratching of someone writing.

"Zant was interested in my hands too, once he had …." Ketura couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

Silence fell on the room. Ketura hid her face in her hands again as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She fought against them with deep breaths and attempts to take her mind off her father's death. In her mind's eye, though, she once again saw his blood-soaked and broken body. "Sorry," she murmured, and then felt Impa's hand on her shoulder.

"The Triforce, of course," said Impa softly. "That must be what he wants. How predictable …. If Zant had the Triforce of Power …."

"But Zelda's dead, so the Triforce of Wisdom has changed hands," Ashei pointed out. "We need to contact Lady Arianne and tell her to lay low, just in case, or assume protection of her."

"I know. But he knows about the existence of the Orb of the Triforce, so he could easily find it," said Impa.

"Taking Hyrule Castle would give him access to it," Zahrain added.

"So if it did pass to Arianne, she would most likely be better off leaving the country if the worst should happen," continued Impa.

"And now Ketura has the Triforce of Courage," said Colin.

Ketura removed her right hand and held it front of her face so she could take another look at the Triforce crest. "You think this is what he wants?" she asked, as everything slowly started to make sense.

"I am certain of it," said Impa as she lifted her hand off of Ketura's shoulder. "The Triforces of Wisdom and Courage have never left their respective bloodlines. Wisdom has always resided with the Royal Family, the Nohansens. And Courage has been passed down through your bloodline. He must have counted on Link eventually dying, and making sure you were completely under his influence by the time that happened. Then, once you had the Triforce of Courage, you would do his bidding with it."

"Interesting, this may be the second time in known history where a non-Hero held the Triforce of Courage," commented Talo. "I mean, the first was the son of the Hero of Time, but he stole it, so I don't know if that counts."

"I did _not_ steal this from my dad. Hell, I don't even think I want it," retorted Ketura, not taking her eyes off the back of her hand. She thought of all the times Ganondorf had done nice things for her, and how he said that she was crucial to him getting what he wanted. _None of them could replace you, or do for me what you can do._ But it wasn't _her_ after all, was it? He just needed a vessel, someone who would cooperate and who he could easily sway. How could she have been so – the words naïve, gullible, foolish, and idiotic bounced around in her head.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"For starters, you're not leaving this bar," said Telma.

"At least by yourself," added Impa.

"But you need to stay _far_ away from him," advised Ashei. She then exchanged glances with Impa.

"Ashei, you're the next best swordsman after Link," said Impa, "so can I count on you?"

Ashei nodded firmly.

Impa paused for a moment, stroking her chin while deep in thought. "We'll need to send Seline and her scouts out to see if they can find anything, but I don't know how we can begin to defend the city."

"Our people here in the city can take turns patrolling along the walls both inside and out, perhaps," suggested Colin.

"Are any of them good with a bow?" asked Talo.

"I don't know, but you could probably teach them," said Colin.

"Arrows won't do much against Darknuts," said Ashei.

It was quiet again. Everyone glanced around the room, tense and anxious, while Ketura tried to wrap her mind around the possibility that Ganondorf would attack Castle Town. If he did, she didn't know what she would do. He would probably expect her to join him, but after fires and disease she thought that the people of Castle Town had suffered enough. And if all he wanted were the other pieces of the Triforce, why involve anyone else? Yet she couldn't completely get behind the idea of killing him, and she couldn't figure out why.

"Ketura, maybe one more meeting with Ganondorf wouldn't be a bad idea," said Impa.

"Absolutely not!" Telma snapped.

"We would be hiding nearby and would get her out of there just in case something happened. But if we are going to fight against him we need to know what to expect. And since Ketura has been so kind to establish a connection for us …."

All eyes were on her again. Ketura looked from Impa to Telma, getting the feeling that the former would want her to agree and the latter would want her to refuse. She looked down at her hands and thought about it, about what _she_ wanted to do and what she thought would be best for both herself and everyone else.

"I'll go," she said to Impa. From there, she found the clock on the bar's wall, seeing that it was ten minutes to midnight. "Now."

"Are you sure?" Impa asked.

Ketura nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

* * *

She put on her jacket, scarf, and gloves, and made her way into the tunnels with everyone else behind her. The only exception was Telma, who stayed in the bar to await their return and updates from Auru about the Earth and Wind Temples. Despite everything that had been said by Impa and the others at the meeting, Ketura wasn't afraid. She spent the walk through the tunnel trying to think of ways to get him to talk, while behind her Impa discussed hiding places and extraction strategies. Ketura absentmindedly said "Yes, I've got it" when Impa asked her if she understood the procedure for getting her out of there if Ganondorf tried to take her – in truth, she didn't catch a single word of the plan other than a passing mention of Deku Nuts. She also told herself, repeatedly, that no matter what she was doing the right thing, even though a small part of her felt like she was about to commit a massive betrayal.

The night was dark, as clouds concealed the moon and stars. In the light of her lantern, Ketura saw small white flurries falling to the ground, adding some thickness to the blanket of snow that already came up past her ankles. She trudged on, snow crunching under her feet, and then she paused. Looking around, she saw that the others had already vanished into the darkness. Although she knew they would be looking out for her, she felt exposed and vulnerable. Nervousness manifested herself in light nausea and a racing heartbeat.

She saw Ganondorf up ahead, standing at the entrance to the overlook where they usually met. At first he was a tall silhouette that her lantern's illumination barely reached, but as she drew closer he came into better focus. The hood of his cloak sat on top of his head, and his arms were folded in front of him.

"You came," he said, sounding pleased.

Before Ketura could respond, her right hand started glowing, surrounded by a warm golden light. The Triforce crest shone through her glove, with the lower right triangle shining the brightest. She looked from her hand to Ganondorf … and then saw his right hand glowing in the same way. He looked from his hand to her hand, and he grinned. All she could do was gawk in astonishment.

"You have the Triforce of Courage?" he said, excited.

"Yeah … what's it doing?" she asked. The golden glow gradually faded until only the Triforce crest remained on the surface of her glove, and then it disappeared as well.

"Resonating, in the presence of the Triforce of Power," answered Ganondorf. The glow faded from his hand as well. "As the Triforce of Power did in the presence of the Triforce of Courage."

Ganondorf looked like he was having the best day of his life. Ketura glanced down at her right hand, then to his hand, and then re-established eye contact with him.

"I am surprised that Midna has not tried to whisk you away again. She seemed so eager to remove you from Hyrule Castle after the battle that-"

"Midna's dead," Ketura cut him off. "Zant killed her, and she had enough magic left for that."

"I see." Ganondorf said shortly. "I was coming to just as you were leaving, and I assumed … no matter. Were you the one to finish Zant?"

"Yeah," said Ketura.

"Well done."

A beat of silence passed.

"The Triforce of Power … that is what you wanted from Zant, wasn't it?" Ketura asked.

"Yes."

"Okay … good. I'm glad you got what you wanted," said Ketura, unsure of how glad she really was. "So I guess that means you don't need me anymore."

Ganondorf shook his head. "Wrong. I wanted you to have the Triforce of Courage, Ketura. Nobody in Hyrule is more worthy of it than you are, living _or_ dead. And now that you have it, you and I are one step closer to achieving all that we desire. Do you know what has become of the Triforce of Wisdom?"

Ketura's mouth gaped open. "Uh, no. I don't." She remembered the lore surrounding the Triforce: that when it was whole, it would grant the desires of whoever wished upon it.

"Princess Zelda, do you know of any family she may have? Anyone who would have a claim to the throne now that she is dead?"

She thought of Lady Arianne, Zelda's sister, and Arianne's unborn child. "No," she said.

"No matter. It should be easy enough to find," said Ganondorf as he looked past her towards Hyrule Castle. Ketura followed his line of sight and also gazed on the castle for a moment.

"So, your army …." Ketura said casually, hoping that he would now freely volunteer information since things seemed to be going so well for him.

"It is ready, and I have succeeded in freeing the Earth and Wind Sages," said Ganondorf.

"Where are they now? The Sages?" Ketura turned her head back to look at him again.

His refusal to answer said everything. She felt like she had been hit in the chest with a heavy weight.

"It is a splendid force, and I cannot wait for you to see it," said Ganondorf. "Tomorrow night, I will bring it here to this eastern gate, to present to Impa."

The news rattled her a little bit. "Great. Sounds … great. It's got everyone? Lizalfos, Moblins, Darknuts, the Cult of Dragmire? The Molgera worm?"

"The Molgera worm is staying at the Wind Temple … but yes. Everyone you just named, and the Cult is providing catapults and rams to breach the walls."

"I see," said Ketura. "So, you're saying all of that is coming here, to Castle Town, tomorrow night?" She spoke a little louder, almost shouting, meticulously enunciating each syllable.

"Keep your voice down!" snapped Ganondorf.

"Sorry," whispered Ketura. She wasn't sorry. Hopefully someone hiding nearby heard it.

Ganondorf turned in a circle, looking all around and above and below. When he faced Ketura again, he said "Yes. If there is any hope of marching an army of one thousand from the Arbiter's Grounds to here by then we should leave now."

Her eyes widened. " _We?"_

He nodded. "We. As in you and I."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Uh …." Maybe that would be the cue for Impa to get her out of there?

"Why do you hesitate?" asked Ganondorf.

"I-I'm not. It's just … I don't know …. I … um ... um … I told Impa about the army."

"What? Why would you do that?!"

"Well I figured that if it's for her use, she'd like to know about it."

She watched as his chest rose dramatically, and he exhaled in angry huffs.

"Unless you lied to me, and you're going to attack Castle Town," added Ketura cautiously. "I just want you to know, that if you are, I don't want to be involved, and I don't agree with it. Everyone in that city has been through enough already. They don't need a war either."

"Who said anything about war, or me attacking Castle Town?" Ganondorf asked indignantly.

Ketura stepped backwards. Ganondorf shot his hand forward and tightly grabbed her upper arm, digging his fingers into her skin and pulling her closer to him. She winced at the pain.

"Are you really starting to believe what Impa and her friends are saying about me, rather than trusting what you have seen and know to be true? You know I would never do anything to hurt you."

Ketura struggled the best she could, only to feel additional pressure and pain as she struggled against his hold on her. "Then let go," she pleaded.

"I can't. You'll go, and they'll keep us apart. I won't be able to help you anymore. Do you want that?"

"I-uh- well, maybe!" she protested. Where was Impa, she wondered. She couldn't tell what was going to happen next, if Ganondorf would just keep talking or if he would actually hurt her. This was perhaps the first time since the night of his resurrection that he had genuinely scared her. Something had changed, she thought. Was it the Triforce of Power? Discovering she had the Triforce of Courage? Was he nervous about something? All she knew was that she did not like this turn in his behavior.

Ganondorf's expression softened slightly. "Your father is dead. So is Midna. You have _nothing_ to gain from staying with them, and _everything_ to gain with me. What can they offer you? Who among them has your best interests at heart, and who among them can you truly call a friend? They only tolerated your presence for your father's sake and never valued you as your own person." His grip on her loosened but he still kept hold, and his eyes flickered down to her hand.

Ketura noticed how he gazed at her hand. "If you want it so bad, then just take it!" she shouted. "That's all it's ever been about anyway! Not me. You never cared about me!"

He stood still, absolutely stunned by her words. She took the opportunity to yank herself free, sweep up her lantern, and scurry back, putting a few more yards between the two of them. In the light cast by her lantern, her eyes met his, and she saw how dismayed he was.

"No, Ketura-"

"Stop. Just stop." She cut him off forcefully as a fire rose in her belly. "I'm done. I'm leaving."

"What do you want me to do?" he asked. "What can I say or do that will convince you to stay?"

Ketura watched him as he took a step towards her. Her upper arm still throbbed in the spots where his fingers had dug into her skin. "I don't know. But for once, just tell the truth: are you going to attack Castle Town tomorrow night?"

A pause. She held her breath.

"Yes." Ganondorf said.

"Then call off the attack. That is what you can do," replied Ketura, mentally preparing herself for any answer he would give.

"No, I cannot do that," he said.

"We have a problem then," said Ketura.

Ganondorf nodded. "Yes, it appears we do," he said. Suddenly, he lunged forward and seized Ketura, his hands clamping tight on her shoulders. "You cannot go back now. You know too much."

"What are you- hey!" Ketura cried as she flailed, struggled, and pushed against him as he pulled her closer to him. She was abruptly turned around, and next thing she knew his hand was clamped over her mouth and his other hand restrained her arms behind her back. Her lantern fell from her hand.

"I don't understand why you are so hesitant-" said Ganondorf, swiftly cutting himself off and bowing his head right as something flew close by, making a faint whistling sound as it zoomed through the air.

Ganondorf lowered his head, positioning his mouth just an inch away from her ear. "This is my destiny, Ketura," he said in a low voice, almost a whisper. "To be a King, to unite the Triforce, and use it to make Hyrule mine … your destiny is to be by my side. Stop fighting it. Accept it … embrace it. Imagine all that we will accomplish together."

If there was an opportune time for Impa and the others to go forward with their extraction plans, Ketura thought, that would be the time to do it. In the meantime, she would likely make him drag her away kicking and screaming if it came to that.

Whatever flew through the air earlier returned, announcing its arrival with another high-pitched whistle-like sound. Ganondorf looked at the ground, located Ketura's lantern, and kicked it in the direction that the mysterious entity had gone. The lantern landed several yards away and shone its light on an arrow, sticking up out of the snow at a diagonal. Before he could react further, a burst of cool gray smoke exploded over the lantern, suffocating its light and throwing the area into pitch darkness.

Maybe this was it, Ketura thought nervously. Next thing she heard was a loud _crack_ , followed by a several loud pops sounding off in rapid succession. Ganondorf let out an "Ah!" and the arm that restrained hers dropped out of place. She wriggled her arms free and was reaching to push his other hand off her mouth when another _POP_ went off, right in her left ear. His hand slid down and off her mouth, and stinging pain hit her left forearm, causing her to cry out as she stumbled forward a couple of steps.

"Impa?" she called out. The sting in her arm quickly subsided, giving way to a heavy numbness. She held her left arm to her chest as she turned in a circle, lighting Din's Fire, only to find herself surrounded by a thick cover of the gray smoke. Next thing she knew, someone laid a hand on her shoulder, and another _crack_ rang out, followed by another puff of smoke that choked the flame in her hand.

When the smoke cleared, whoever had last touched her pushed her forward, and she fell into the hole that served as the entrance to the tunnel. She took a second to recognize where she was, noting the stone slab that instructed one to speak the password to proceed as well as the multitude of traps set beyond the slab down through the tunnel, and then she rubbed her left arm with her right hand. It was still numb.

Impa and Luda came down shortly after she did; Impa shouted "Deku Seeds!" clearly, causing the stone slab and the traps beyond it to sink into the earth, and then she turned to Ketura. "Are you all right … oh, I hit you, didn't I?" she asked, noting Ketura's left arm.

"You did, but it's fine. At least it wasn't an arrow, huh?" asked Ketura, hoping that cracking a joke would introduce some much-needed levity to the situation.

With a sigh, Impa said "Ugh, Talo. Bungled his part … but come on, let's get you back."

The three women walked briskly down the tunnel, taking the turn that would lead them into Telma's kitchen. "Everyone else is staying near the entrance to the tunnel, ready to strike if they must, because I don't know how long he'll be stunned like that," she explained.

"Tomorrow night, though. That doesn't give us much time to prepare," commented Luda, sounding anxious.

"It doesn't. We'll have to do what we can, though," said Impa.

The rest of the trip through the tunnel passed in a blur. When they re-emerged into the bar, they were greeted by a pale-faced, panic-stricken Telma, who held her Gossip Stone tight in her hand.

After a brief uneasy silence, Impa said "Well, it's been eventful … what is it, Telma?"

"I just got the news," said Telma, her voice shaking. "The Earth and Wind Temples – all the Hylian soldiers outside were dead, and there had been so much destruction inside and outside – and the Sages …."

"Are they dead too?" asked Impa.

Telma nodded. "Laruto had been killed by a large group of Poes. And Fado- all they found of him was his leg. They dared not get closer. There's a Molgera worm in the Wind Temple now."

"Then that means," said Luda softly.

"We're in trouble." Impa sighed.

Ketura glanced around at the adult women as guilt and shame rose in her. Ganondorf could probably do what he wanted now, with those two out of the way and the Master Sword powerless ….

She immediately ran for the stairs leading up to the flat, went up and in, and found the Master Sword right where she had left it, propped against a living room wall. The first thing she noticed was that the handguards had folded in, as if they were arms embracing the sword's blade. With her right hand, she picked it up by the hilt and drew it a few inches out of its sheath. The subtle silver glow was gone, leaving the blade a lackluster metallic gray. She gently ran her fingertip over the edges of the blade, to find that it was duller than before.

"Sweet Farore," she muttered, "what have I done?"


	39. Thirty-Eight

**THIRTY-EIGHT**

"Are you happy now?!"

At the bar's long table, Ketura recounted the details of her interaction with Ganondorf to Telma, who then turned to Impa and snapped at her. Luda stood by the kitchen door, waiting for Colin and the others to return.

"I hope this information is worth her almost getting kidnapped," said Telma crossly, gesturing to Ketura.

"But she didn't get kidnapped," replied Impa.

"Poor girl still looks shaken, though," said Telma.

"I'm fine, I really am," said Ketura, just as she recognized how the numbness in her left arm was starting to fade.

"If you say so, hon," said Telma. She turned back to Impa. "But don't ask her to do anything like that again."

"Why not? Are you going to stop me?" Impa's tone was defensive.

"I might, yes," answered Telma, her voice low and threatening.

"But if we needed her to, if it was the only way to-"

"Oh shut up!" Telma snapped. "Do you not care about how your decisions affect others, Impa? Or is succeeding all that matters to you? What happened to your soul?"

Impa's eyes widened when Telma told her to shut up, and her mouth gaped open.

"My soul tells me to do whatever it takes to save the people of Hyrule from anything that may threaten them," said Impa.

"So that makes it okay to form an alliance with one of those threats? Or using Ketura as bait like you did just now?!"

"She wasn't bait, she- Telma, where did all of this come from?"

Telma's face was almost as red as her hair. "I had been holding onto it for a long time," she said. "I had never said anything, but this was too much for me. You're my friend, Impa, and I respect you, but if we don't have a conscience or any sense of morality then we aren't any better than our enemies."

Ketura understood that emotions ran high after the encounter with Ganondorf and the news about the Sages' deaths, but she had never seen Impa and Telma get into such a heated argument before.

"I told you I would fix this problem, and I would! Hell, our power grab is being postponed for this." Impa retorted.

"Because I told you to! Daphnes isn't going anywhere or doing anything just yet!"

The kitchen door opened. Colin immediately joined Luda's side and Talo hung back with them. Ashei moved purposefully towards Impa and Telma, while Zahrain and his twin sisters brought up the rear.

"No sign of him," Ashei reported.

"Probably left to go rally the army," said Ketura.

"Ketura, go upstairs and get the Master Sword," Impa said heavily. Ketura did so; when she came back down with the sheathed sword in her hands, she heard Impa discussing her plans to move swiftly through the night to alert their people in the city.

"We could probably set some traps outside the eastern gate," Nabira suggested as she indicated herself and Levali.

"And figure out a way to evacuate East Road," said Colin.

Talo's face lit up as an idea came to him. "You know how they're trying to make us look like terrorists? Let's be terrorists! I think there's a big important temple of worship on East Road we could blow up … when it's empty, of course."

"I agree with Colin, but disagree with Talo," said Impa. At this point, Ketura joined Impa's side, and handed her the Master Sword. Impa inspected it, running her hands over the folded-in handguards and pulling out a few inches to look at the dulled blade.

"Ashei." Impa held the Master Sword out. Ashei took it and fastened it to her belt so that it hung by her hip.

"And if we need to evacuate people we can use the tunnels," said Telma. "I'll send them to Eldin Field through there."

"We should probably tip off the Hylian soldiers," said Luda.

"Yeah, they're sure to believe that a man who is supposed to be dead has raised an army to attack the city," said Nabira sarcastically.

"No, we don't tell them that." Luda glanced to Talo. "Tell them that- that it's _us_ who is planning an attack on the East Road tomorrow night, and it's going to be terrible, and they should move people out of the neighborhood and put lots of soldiers there."

"Anonymously, of course," said Telma.

Ketura made eye contact with Luda and gave her a small nod and smile. Luda reciprocated.

"And here I was, thinking you were just here to patch us up," an impressed Zahrain said to Luda.

"I'll forge something to show the captain of the guard as a 'tip,'" said Telma.

"Aren't any of you worried about how this plan might damage our reputation?" Impa asked.

Nobody answered at first; they all looked around at each other. Then, Ketura said with a sigh, "Do you really think people will have time to be mad at you while their home's being ransacked by Moblins? Maybe this could turn public opinion in your favor as you heroically save Castle Town from invasion."

"And what are _you_ going to do to help?" Zahrain asked. "This is all your fault, anyway!"

"I mean, at least you know he's coming. If it weren't for me you'd all be caught with your pants down," said Ketura defensively. "But I want to keep helping however I can. I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of what I did."

"If it weren't for you our biggest problem right now would be Lord Daphnes trying to crown himself King," muttered Zahrain angrily.

"Daphnes will get his," Impa said, in an attempt to assure and placate Zahrain, "and perhaps the citizens of Castle Town will flock to our Movement after we protect them. And-" she paused, looking over to Telma. "I share some of the responsibility for our current predicament. By allowing Ganondorf to join us, no matter for how brief a time, I unwittingly gave him access to information he could use. We should have killed him the moment he set foot in the Hidden Village, I see that now. But it's not too late. We can still set things right."

The next few moments passed in silence. Nobody looked anyone in the eye as they looked down at their hands, on the ground, or around the room at the others. Ketura caught a glimpse of Telma and her siblings throwing looks of anger and disapproval at Impa, and then saw Ashei inspecting the Master Sword's dulled blade. She wished there was an easy way to reverse what happened to the Sages and to the Master Sword, and she wished for a way to go back in time and tell herself to take a different route home that night, or to go to a different cave, or just to stay home. There weren't ways, though, just like there was no way for her to shrink and disappear so she could escape the problems she caused.

"Ketura … you should leave the city for a while," Telma said heavily.

"What?"

"I think you would be safer if you weren't in Castle Town tomorrow night or in the following days," continued Telma.

"Well nobody else in the city is going to be safe tomorrow night," said Ketura pointedly.

"None of those other people have the Triforce of Courage." Telma countered.

"I know, so think of how cowardly it would be of me to run from danger when I could be helping!"

"You can help me, and the rest of us, by keeping yourself out of trouble! As far as anyone knows, you are the last living member of your bloodline, and if something were to happen to you –"

"Telma, nothing is going to happen to me-"

"For once in your life, think about something other than yourself and what _you_ want!"

Ketura opened her mouth to respond, but she had nothing to say. Telma's words stunned her; how was she being selfish by wanting to stay behind and help defend Castle Town? It didn't make sense to her. She glanced around at the others, but couldn't read their expressions to determine what they were thinking.

Impa sighed. "I'm with Telma on this one," she said. "I appreciate this newfound sense of duty you seem to have, Ketura, and right now the best way to do your duty is to not let the Triforce of Courage fall into the wrong hands." She paused and glanced over to Telma before continuing. "I will personally see to it that you leave Castle Town tomorrow once our preparations are complete."

Realizing she couldn't think of a way to convince anyone anymore, Ketura nodded. "Okay, fine, I'll go."

* * *

While the rebels set off to alert others in Castle Town, plan how to set traps, or communicate with the Lake Hylia base via Gossip Stone to send reinforcements, Ketura went upstairs and slept for a couple of hours by Telma's request. She would have slept longer, had she not been wrestling with her thoughts. Impa framed the whole Ganondorf situation as her own fault, either out of genuine remorse or to take some the heat off of Ketura. Perhaps both. Yet Ketura felt like it was _all_ her fault. She was the one who brought him back, after all, and she decided to work with him even after her father warned her, and she knew he was capable of terrible things. If it weren't for her, perhaps the Earth and Wind Sages would still be alive. She would have never made that Growth Potion for the Molgera worm … but if she didn't have the potion recipes he gave her, then she couldn't have made the soup that cured peoples' Cucco flu. Zant would have probably killed her, had he not shown up. It wasn't all bad, yet to her in that moment the bad outweighed the good.

Part of her was glad that Ashei had taken the Master Sword to fight Ganondorf. Ashei was supposedly the best living swordsman Impa knew, so it made more sense for her to do it. Ketura knew she wasn't ready for any serious fights. She had just gotten lucky with Zant. However, she felt like it should have been her, since their current predicament was her fault. That way, she could be the one to make things right. And it would keep in line with history and legends as well, as someone with both the Triforce of Courage and the Master Sword stepped up to vanquish threats to Hyrule's peace-

She stopped her little fantasy, as she realized that her hopes of staying behind were at least partially borne from selfishness. Did she genuinely care about saving the people of Castle Town, or did she just want to clear her conscience? Even in the absence of a clear answer, she reminded herself that she was no Hero. Her father was the Hero of their era, and he was dead. She cried quietly for a few minutes, wishing he was still there with her, wishing to feel his arms around her and hear him say that everything would be all right. But he wouldn't, because he was gone, and she didn't know if she would ever be all right again.

* * *

The clock on the wall showed the time to be seven thirty in the morning. Tired of laying down and not sleeping, Ketura got up and went through her things. She only packed essentials in her bag, knowing she could come back for her books later. In a large bag she put most of the things Ganondorf had given her, and she figured that on her way out of town she could hand them out to people in need. The black leather boots would fit someone, and surely some woman would want that perfume. The only things she kept were the pairs of socks, and the only thing she disposed of was the wool tunic, which she had worn the night Link had been captured and later when she fought Zant. It was ripped in places, and decorated with bloodstains. She threw it on the fireplace and watched it burn.

She got dressed, putting on her thickest pair of socks and her old lace-up boots. It amazed her that her boots had not completely fallen apart yet, although once she put them on she felt how thin and worn the soles had gotten. Finally she grabbed her purple shirt, which had been with her since she left the Hidden Village. Before she put it on, she noticed the bare skin of her upper arm – specifically, the five bluish-black bruises that were all shaped like fingerprints. _You know I would never do anything to hurt you_ , he had said. She remembered those words as she gazed upon the proof that he once again lied to her. He lied to her and deceived her, many times, and then he had the audacity to pretend to care about her. Thinking about it made her want to vomit, to jump out of her skin and that very existence. She wanted to be anyone else, literally anyone else, so long as she was no longer Ketura Lykos.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Impa came by. Ketura and Telma shared a long, tight hug that she never wanted to end. "Remember that no matter what, I care about you and want you to be safe," said Telma.

"I know," replied Ketura, relieved to hear those words.

"Be careful, and I'll see you soon." Telma said.

"Okay," said Ketura.

"When this is all over, you can stay here with me for as long as you want, okay hon?"

"Really?"

"Of course. Where else would you go? And I think your dad's ghost would haunt me if I didn't at least offer." Telma gave Ketura a final squeeze, then let her go.

Ketura smiled weakly. "Thanks, Telma. I appreciate it. And- I'm sorry. I really am."

"I know you are. But keep in mind that as long as you live here you are on indefinite dishwashing duty in the bar … and you get to clean the bathroom too. I'll be running a special on my five-bean stew until the end of winter," Telma added with a smirk.

"Seems fair," said Ketura with a nod.

"And you're going back to school too," added Telma. "I'm going to make sure you become a productive member of society if it's the last thing I do. School and chores. That's it."

"Ketura, let's go." Impa stood at the door to the bar, arms crossed and her face grim. She wore a midnight blue cloak around her shoulders, and as she spoke she threw the cloak's hood on over her head. Without another word, Ketura gave Telma one last small smile, bundled up in her outerwear, picked up her bag of items to take and her bag of things to get rid of, and left with Impa.

* * *

The big bag went almost immediately. Ketura and Impa came across a man sitting at the corner of South Road and a side street, begging for money to buy his wife a new pair of shoes. The black leather boots would fit perfectly, according to him. "And these pencils are nice … ah, perfume too? She'll love this. Thanks, missus," the man grinned, showing off a missing front tooth. "May the Goddesses bless you."

"Yeah, you too," said Ketura. She and Impa continued up South Road, bowing their heads to hide their faces from a group of Hylian soldiers on patrol, and arrived to the central square, where a mass of people had gathered. A few Hylian soldiers surrounded the crowd, spaced out about one every twenty yards. The sun began dipping towards the western horizon.

"Is everything ready? Like, are we prepared?" asked Ketura as Impa led her towards the growing crowd.

"Yes," said Impa. "East Road has been evacuated thanks to our fake tip and is now filled with Hylian soldiers, Levali and Nabira have set some impressive traps outside in the fields, and all of our people are in the city."

Ketura nodded along as Impa spoke. She anxiously wondered how soon she would be leaving Castle Town, and where she would go.

"Telma thinks I'm taking you straight out of the city, but I can't do that yet. You understand I need to be here," said Impa.

"Of course, but ..." So much for seeing personally that she left, thought Ketura.

"With any luck most of the action will be along the eastern wall. I trust he'll be otherwise occupied here, so that should give you a chance to run south, towards Ordon Village. Stay there, and when it's over we will come get you. Until then, stay with me."

Ketura nodded, thinking that Telma would throw a fit if she knew of Impa's plan. She felt uneasy and nervous about the whole thing, and imagined a myriad of ways in which things could go wrong. It was possible that things could go wrong; she knew that by now. Odds were that by the end of the night, she would wind up face to face with Ganondorf again. She asked herself what she would do if that happened, and she didn't have an answer.

"And you know that when it comes time to retrieve you, you'll only leave your hiding place with myself, Ashei, any of Telma's siblings, Colin, Luda, or Talo. And before leaving, ask the person or people who come for you about the horse your mother had growing up," continued Impa.

"My mom didn't have a horse," said Ketura, confused.

"Exactly."

She and Impa pushed their way through the crowd of people, becoming additions to the sea of bodies crammed in the square. Some people stood in the fountain, complaining about their feet in cold water but otherwise seemingly glad to have some space around them. Ketura caught snippets of conversation as she wormed her way through, trying to keep her eyes on Impa in front of her. Many people had come from East Road and were discussing the evacuation and whether an attack would happen anyway; some were sharing conspiracies about the mysterious circumstances surrounding Princess Zelda's death ("It was an assassin from Termina, I'm telling you. Yes, Termina is a real place, and it's home of the most terrifying magical forces in the world!"); and others talked about Lord Daphnes – well, it was King Daphnes now, according to one man she overheard.

"Daphnes is king now?" she asked Impa when she found herself side-to-side with the Sheikah woman again.

"Crowned himself last night while we all slept," murmured Impa.

"He doesn't have a right to do that, though, does he? He and Zelda never really got married."

"Well he thinks he does. His reign won't last long if I have anything to say about it."

Impa stopped abruptly and turned on the spot, looking around. Her eyes focused on a spot to the west of where they stood, and she led Ketura there until the two of them were out of the crowd of people and in an alley space between the five-story Malo Mart and a sandwich shop. Zahrain, Levali and Nabira, Colin, Luda, Talo, Ashei, and some other people Ketura did not recognize all stood there, watching the crowd in the square. She assumed the other people were also with the Movement, from the Lake Hylia base.

"Finally found you," said Impa. Ketura joined Luda's side.

"Nothing yet," said Colin stoically.

"It's like a calm before the storm," said Ashei, resting a hand on the Master Sword's hilt.

"Our new King hasn't made an appearance yet either," said Talo.

"Are you talking about Daphnes?" asked Ketura.

"Yeah. He's gonna be giving a speech soon," Talo replied. "Must have thought it would be a good opportunity, what with all of East Road and half of the rest of town in the square."

"Oh, this will be fun," said Impa. Her face lit up with a smirk.

The sun gradually sunk out of view, and the sky darkened as the sun set. Ketura silently stood by as Impa and the others talked strategy, looking between the sky and the crowd of people in the square. For a brief moment she doubted whether she really needed to leave once the fighting broke out. The urge to stay hit especially hard as she watched a mother and father entertain their baby with a quick game of peek-a-boo. There was no guarantee that she would be of any help if she stayed, but she would definitely _not_ be helping if she ran.

As the last streaks of soft orange twilight faded away, the crowd suddenly fell silent. Trumpets played a fanfare loudly and proudly. Everyone's eyes turned towards a raised stage right in front of the entrance to Hyrule Castle, where four trumpet players marched up and peeled off to each stand on each corner of the stage. Behind them came Apostles, the men in long white robes and blue shawls, who all stood upstage and held thick leather-bound books in their hands. Next came a short chubby man in a garishly colorful tunic. It looked like his bushy beard consumed his entire face, and his mouth opened very widely so he could cry out "Citizens of Castle Town, I announce the arrival of His Majesty the King, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule!"

The short man bowed and scooted off to the side as Daphnes stepped on the stage and strode forward. He wore a loose, draping red robe over a blue tunic and a large ornate golden crown on his head. As he stopped at the edge of the stage, people in the crowd bowed to him.

"My loyal subjects," Daphnes began, projecting his voice so that surely people in the back of the crowd could hear him, "It is a dark time for Hyrule. Bands of monsters on the move across the fields, plagues, threats from those who want to call themselves 'Liberators,' tragedy after tragedy, and we have lost our beloved Princess Zelda. May she rest in peace. The Goddesses spoke to me. They asked me to be the one to lead Hyrule out of the darkness, and back into their light."

"Do you think he has it?" Ketura heard Ashei whisper to Impa. She assumed the "it" Ashei referred to was the Triforce of Wisdom.

"I doubt it," Impa whispered back. "I also doubt the Goddesses told him to make himself King."

"I stand before you today, my subjects, asking you for the devotion and allegiance you showed to Princess Zelda. The battles we face are not just here in this world. We will be facing wars on our bodies and our souls. Sin can have no place in our society. All of us must seek out and destroy the corrupting forces in our lives, before they destroy us. Once we are a holy, blameless people who love the Goddesses and keep their commandments, we will receive their blessings in full."

"What a load of crap," muttered Talo.

"He has no idea, does he?" asked Luda.

A loud _crack_ sounded off right in Ketura's ear, so loud it hurt a little bit. A puff of smoke accompanied the cracking sound, exploding out from the place where Impa once stood.

"Ugh, where did she go?" Colin asked.

Another _crack_ and puff of smoke coming from the top of the fountain's statue answered Colin's question. Impa stood on top of the statue, looking down at the crowd, and paying special attention to the soldiers who pulled out their bows and aimed arrows at her. Some people cried out in surprise.

"People of Castle Town, my name is Impa. I am a member of the Sheikah Tribe, one of the last remaining of my people. I stand before you today as a representative of the Hyrule Peoples' Liberators, and-" Impa vanished again as an arrow flew right at her. The arrow sailed right through the burst of smoke coming from above the fountain and then completed its trajectory into the crowd; several people jumped out of its way to avoid being hit.

Impa rematerialized again, right in front of the stage where Daphnes stood. "This man is a false king!" she declared, pointing up to him. "He and Zelda never married, much less consummated their marriage! No God or Goddess has spoken to him in prayer! Where was he when fires raged across the city, destroying homes and lives? Where was he when the city's water supply was contaminated, and you were ravaged by disease? He does not have any concern for you. He is not fit to rule!"

The crowd broke into an uproar.

"She just can't help herself," commented Ashei.

Soldiers converged on Impa, so she vanished again and rematerialized in the middle of the crowd. The peoples' shouts temporarily subsided as the smoke signifying her reappearance burst out.

"Demand better for yourself, people of Hyrule! Daphnes and Zelda remained holed up in Hyrule Castle, leaving you all to fend for yourselves as disaster struck! Your hearts and souls and sins are not the problem. Kings and queens and princesses are!"

"How dare you speak such treason and blasphemy?!" Daphnes roared at Impa.

"I speak the truth!" Impa called back at him. "Someone so out of touch and isolated, who is not ready to lay his life down for his people should not be a ruler. Link Lykos did not want to be a ruler, but he gave everything he had for the safety of the people, to his last breath. He was ten times the man you are!"

Ketura's chest clenched up at the mention of her father. The exchange between Impa and Daphnes seemed like a pre-show, a distraction, something happening in its own little world, and she wished it would just keep going forever so that there was never time for anything else.

"Yes, a great man and a traitor to the Crown. He defied a direct order from his Princess, do you remember that?" Daphnes asked, his tone condescending.

"I remember all right. He went to prison for refusing to partake in the genocide of the Gerudo tribe that the Nohansen Dynasty is infamous for. Why is your Royal Family so threatened by non-Hylians, anyway? I would ask a Goron or a Zora, but I haven't seen any of them around in a long time. I wonder why that is?"

"Those who will not assimilate have no place in Hyrule," said Daphnes gravely.

"But they _do_ have places in prison camps and as slave laborers?"

Hylian soldiers pushed their way through the crowd on their way to get to Impa. Some people completely blocked one soldier, linking arms together and refusing to budge from where they stood. That soldier tried to go around, only to be met by others who blocked his way.

"Should we do something? Or go on to the East Road?" Colin asked hurriedly.

Before anyone could answer Colin, everyone fell silent and still as a _BOOM_ sounded off in the distance, past East Road. Soon after, there was another _BOOM_ , followed by a _CRASH._ The ground shook. Peoples' eyes trailed toward East Road, the place where the sound was coming from. Ketura held her breath, and she glanced past the crowd towards the entrance to South Road. The ground shook again.

"Do you think this is it?" Luda whispered nervously.

There was another _crash_. Someone in the crowd screamed out "What is that?!" A moment later, a large flaming rock came flying through the sky, sailing above East Road, and crashing into the fountain in the middle of the square. The rock landed on someone, crushing them under its weight, and the ground shook again with more force than before. The fountain statue lay in rubble all around the rock, and the people who had been standing in the fountain clamored out of the water and back into the crowd, which threw itself into a panic.


	40. Thirty-Nine

**THIRTY-NINE**

Those on the outermost edges of the crowd broke off and ran in any and every direction, while those in the center struggled and pushed against one another until it was clear for them to begin running as well. A man who had previously stood in the fountain jumped back in the water and waded towards the rock that had fallen; the water of the fountain had quenched most of the fire on the rock, with only a few embers still burning at the top. The man bent down, presumably to look over whatever remained of the person that the rock had crushed.

"Let's go!" Ashei cried. She dashed out into the square, followed by the other rebels, and they all headed towards East Road. Ketura stood frozen in place, watching the commotion of people fleeing into the West and South Roads, and another loud _CRASH_ sounded off in the distance. Her ears were filled with the shouts and screams of frightened townspeople, and her mind had gone completely blank. Two Hylian soldiers flanked Daphnes and tried to guide him back to Hyrule Castle, but Daphnes shrugged them off, instead opting to step down from his stage and watch as more flaming rocks flew into the city.

It was time for her to go, she realized. Ketura took a few deep breaths, mentally counted to five, and ran as fast as she could to South Road. She wove and ducked and zig-zagged around others fleeing the scene, until she accidentally bumped into someone, but she kept going after shouting "Sorry!" When she reached the South Road's marketplace thoroughfare, she slowed down as she saw a mob of people trying to push its way out through the city's southern gate. Once she got deeper into the crowd, people were no longer moving forward, and someone nearby cried out "Open the damn gate!"

"Let us out!" someone else yelled.

Although she couldn't see for herself to confirm, she found it hard to believe that the Hylian army would have closed the gate and not let people out while the city was under attack. Why didn't they want people to get to safety, she wondered as she kept pushing her way forward. If the soldiers wouldn't open the gate, then she would. It could be burned down or just blasted open.

Something in the sky caught her eye. It was another large flaming rock, soaring through the air, its trajectory leading it to land on South Road, somewhere in front of where she stood. The rock landed with a _CRASH_ , shaking the ground under her feet and sending the mob into another frenzy. Everyone turned and ran the other way, back into the square or pouring into the side streets, while Ketura kept trying to push her way forward. However, she was briefly carried backwards as some well-meaning man grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him, but she wrestled free from his grip so she could squeeze between those who fled. The crowd thinned out the closer she got to the city gate, until there was nobody between her and the flaming rock that rested right in front of the gate. A haze of smoke and dust filled the air. The rock was twice as tall as she was, as wide as the street, and its fire spread to a nearby flower stand. She also counted six bodies pinned under the rock- specifically, she saw arms and legs, or a head and torso, but all of the human remains were now burning away, blackening and crumbling as flames consumed them. She pulled her eyes away from that and looked back up the road, to see the mob fighting its way to a hopefully safer area of the city, leaving a handful of trampled people lying on the ground.

"What are we going to do?!"

Ketura turned and saw a man and a woman with three children. The oldest of the children looked to be around eleven and carried his toddler sister in a piggyback riding position, and the youngest was a baby in its mother's arms.

"Um …." She looked around and felt a little relieved to see that the passageway to the bar was clear. "Telma's place. She has a secret underground tunnel that will get you out of here," she said quickly, pointing toward Telma's. "Go now! Anywhere but eastern Lanayru Field!"

"Who's attacking the city?" the mother asked. The baby started crying.

"Someone you don't want to cross. Now go!"

Without any more words or hesitation, the family took off to Telma's. When they were out of sight, Ketura turned her attention back to the flaming rock in front of the gate. Up on the wall she saw Hylian soldiers pouring buckets of water down onto the rock; however, the water mostly evaporated upon contact and did little to quench the flames. Wind carried embers from the burning flower stand onto another nearby building, igniting its roof.

Of all the magic she knew, Ketura was disappointed that she didn't know of any spells to extinguish fires. It occurred to her that maybe Ganondorf withheld that information on purpose. The first thing she tried to do was levitate snow from the ground onto the rock, which was only moderately more successful than the Hylian soldiers pouring water down from the wall. The black tar-like substance covering the rock would soon burst into flames again.

Next, she threw out her hands and cast Nayru's Love around the rock, forming a blue crystalline shield all around it. With one hand holding the shield, she used her other hand to magically hurl snow onto the burning heap of what was once the flower stand and then up onto the building that had caught fire. She managed to extinguish both of those relatively easily, although there was still a faint glow to some of the ashes of the flower stand. Maintaining a giant shield around the flaming rock quickly drained her magical energy; she kept holding it as her free hand dug through her bag for a Green Potion. Just as she finished chugging the potion down, she saw another rock hurled through the air, and it collided with a four-story apartment building a few blocks away from the bar. That rock wasn't on fire, but it still sent a jolt of panic and dread through her.

Nayru's Love did nothing to reduce the conflagration, so Ketura lowered the shield and stared upon the giant rock in bewilderment. Behind her she heard thundering footsteps; she glanced to see a stream of people hurrying towards Telma's bar. Some of the other rebels must have been telling people to go there, she reasoned. She watched person after person after couple after family go … and then her stomach dropped when she saw a gang of Lizalfos in pursuit.

The Lizalfos were armed with short swords, daggers, and clubs, and were all either carrying shields or wearing breastplates and helmets. One that was at the head of the pack took a swipe at a man who lagged behind the rest of the people running for Telma's; the Lizalfos's sword connected and sliced the man across the back, sending him falling to his knees. Figuring that the rock could wait a minute, Ketura charged at the pack of Lizalfos and threw up Nayru's Love around the injured man just before he fell victim to another attack. The Lizalfos, confused, looked up to see her coming and ran right at her. She quickly threw a red bolt at the Lizalfos and hit it in the stomach, sending it flying backwards and hitting the ground hard.

The others in the pack eyed her curiously before all moving to converge on her. Ketura lowered Nayru's Love so she could use both hands to generate a spinning disc. She directed the disc to hit every Lizalfos in the head or neck, and doing that felled them all except for the two wearing helmets and breastplates. The disc ricocheted right off their armor, leaving Ketura scrambling to regain control of it.

Each of the armored Lizalfos kept moving, and once she was within range of their weapons they took swings at her. Ketura dodged both of their blades; as she ducked down, she noticed that their lower stomachs were not covered by their armor, leaving their bluish-green scales exposed. While crouched down, she lost her balance as she avoided another swipe and fell onto the ground, leaving her to roll out of the way to evade them again as they swung their sharply studded tails at her. Her roll stopped next to one of the Lizalfos she had already taken out, whose sword lay idly next to its owner's head. She picked up the sword and shoved it into the gut of the first armored Lizalfos that stood over her. The Lizalfos let out a raspy shriek of pain, and after Ketura pulled the blade out it remained standing but doubled over. She clamored to her feet and used the blood-soaked sword to block and deflect as the second Lizalfos engaged her in combat. This one showed an interest in protecting its weak spot, as it would hold its sword in front of its stomach in a defensive stance anytime Ketura tried to take a jab at it. She soon swung her sword up at her foe's head, leading the Lizalfos to raise its own blade to block hers, while she freed a hand to shoot a burst of yellow light into its belly. That Lizalfos fell to the ground instantly, twitching and convulsing, and Ketura hastily plunged her sword into its gut. Soon, both of the armored Lizalfos lay on the ground, not moving and bleeding out.

Ketura then threw the sword aside and went to the injured man, who had watched the whole thing while holding himself up on all fours. "Are you all right?" she asked as she crouched down next to him.

"It hurts," he said, voice strained with pain. She noticed the large slash across his back and the blood pouring out of it like a waterfall.

"Here, drink this," she said as she got a Red Potion out of her bag, opened the bottle, and held it to the man's lips so he could drink it down. The slash closed up, and he let out a whimper as it did, but soon enough he was able to stand back up.

"Thank you … that was amazing. You know magic?" he said as he looked down at the slain Lizalfos with astonishment.

"Yeah, I do," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Now get out of here."

The man nodded and walked briskly toward Telma's, soon breaking into a quick jog. Ketura was ready to turn her attention back to the flaming rock, but she first looked down the road and watched what happened in the square. Fires raged along the southern and eastern edges of the city, and the orange flames cast sinister glows on the thick pillars of smoke that rose into the air. Townspeople ran in every direction, trying to escape from Lizalfos and some large pig-like creatures she assumed were Moblins. The Moblins carried sharp spears, and delighted in trying to jab people with them. A few succeeded, stabbing their victims through the chest or back. Large, hulking beings in full armor lumbered through the square and engaged in combat with the Hylian soldiers, making quick work of them with a few short, methodical strikes from their giant swords. Those had to be Darknuts, she thought.

Hopelessness overcame her. There had to be hundreds of those monsters in the square and elsewhere in Castle Town. She couldn't take them all herself, and she couldn't see how the other rebels would be able to as well. The Hylian soldiers were, as usual, no help. One thing became certain, and that was that she couldn't just leave. She had to keep trying, even if it meant getting seriously hurt or killed; she had given that man her only Red Potion.

A group of four Moblins broke from the chaos in the square and sauntered down South Road, heading right towards her. Ketura crouched down and picked up the sword she had used against the Lizalfos, holding it tight in both of her hands and raising it in front of her. She slowly moved closer towards the Moblins, hoping they'd pick up the pace and just get to her already- and then she saw something else in the square that distracted her.

Ganondorf cut across the square, flanked by Gerudo women armed with curved swords, halberds, and axes. He walked right on by the entrance to South Road, out of her line of sight. Although relieved he didn't notice her there and that the Triforce of Courage didn't start glowing again, she didn't want to think about what he was going to do next. Before she could ruminate anymore on Ganondorf, the Moblins picked up their pace, now running to meet her and fight.

* * *

As he readjusted a piece of his armor, he considered himself lucky that his invasion had gone smoothly so far. The Cult of Dragmire provided him with trebuchets to bring down the eastern walls and the gate, allowing his army to enter the city. Originally he had told them to only kill those who tried to fight, and so far out of the monsters only the Darknuts were listening to that instruction. He had hoped that sparing civilians would help endear the townspeople to him once he completed his conquest … but he supposed that was the price of dealing with simpleton Moblins and ravenous Lizalfos.

Flanked on both sides by Cult members, Ganondorf marched across the city square to Hyrule Castle, stepping over the bodies of the fallen as he went or simply kicking them out of his way. The castle stood before him, unblemished and not yet touched by the chaos and bloodshed roaring outside of it. A group of Hylian soldiers charged at him, swords and spears raised high over their heads. He lazily dispatched of one with a bolt of green light in the chest, making him collapse instantly, while the Gerudo flanking him took up fighting the rest. He went on, now that his sights were set on a man with a red robe and a golden crown on his head.

The crowned man stood tall and firm before him, his face hardened and proud. However, his expression changed into one of surprise, with raised eyebrows and wide eyes, as Ganondorf drew closer to him.

"You must be the King," said Ganondorf casually as he drew his sword and held it down at his side. He did raise his hand again, only slightly, to look at the crest of the Triforce of Power. It didn't glow.

"Ganondorf?" the king gasped. He allowed himself to be shocked for a brief moment, but then his face scrunched up in a narrow-eyed glare.

"Yes, it is I, the one and only," Ganondorf replied. The Triforce of Power still didn't resonate, leaving him to draw only one conclusion. "And you must be a peculiar King, presuming to rule even though the Goddesses have not blessed you with their divine Wisdom."

"They have spoken to me in prayer," the king said defensively, "and I am the one they have chosen to lead Hyrule to prosperity and salvation. What of you? Presuming to rule without any sacred mandate or birthright, thinking you can just march an army into this city and wage war upon it?"

"I am reclaiming what is mine, what was stolen from me hundreds of years ago." Ganondorf said passionately. He circled the king, who stood still as a statue without faltering.

"Hyrule was never yours. Not then, not now," the king roared.

Ganondorf stopped abruptly. Of course that fool would try to deny him, he thought. Yet as he looked around to see members of his army through the square, and his Gerudo forces standing over the bodies of Hylian soldiers they had just killed, he knew that with the superior force he could have anything he wanted.

He held his blade up to the king's throat. "Step down, and surrender. There is no one alive who can best me and you know it. Give me Hyrule, the throne, the one who possesses the Triforce of Wisdom, and Ketura Lykos. And I will let you live."

"Who?" the king asked, confused.

"Surely you would know who did receive the Triforce of Wisdom, after Zelda's death."

"No, I don't. And I do not know of this other person of whom you speak."

Ganondorf did not appreciate how the king played the idiot. "Yes you do. Ketura Lykos. A girl, sixteen years old, blue eyes like her father's, she is here somewhere in this city! My forces will continue to ransack and kill anyone they can until she is standing here before me."

The king's eyes widened further, as he realized who Ganondorf was talking about. "No. I will not sacrifice one of my subjects, especially to you."

His eyes narrowing into a menacing scowl, Ganondorf pulled his sword away from the king's throat. "Think of how many you will allow to die then. Hundreds … thousands … for the sake of one that you don't even know."

"And you see it fit to kill those hundreds and thousands for the sake of one person," the king rebutted.

Ganondorf shook his head. "This is your last chance. Surrender to me everything I demanded, or you will be among the dead."

With Ganondorf's sword once again positioned at his throat, the king closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "I am prepared to meet the Goddesses," he said.

"I am afraid they will disappoint you," said Ganondorf. He raised his sword up to swing, and as he did he saw a burst of cool gray smoke explode over where the king stood, and heard a loud _crack_. When the smoke cleared, the king was gone. Annoyed and enraged, he growled and turned in a circle to look for where the king had gone, yet there was no sign of him.

He soon noticed a woman approaching him. She seemed familiar … he then recognized her as one of Impa's rebel friends, the warrior woman named Ashei. Ashei had an intense look on her face, one of determination and preparation to kill. She drew a sword with a brilliant blue hilt and folded-in handguards; however, the blade looked dull. That had to be the Master Sword. He chuckled, finding it amusing that Ashei would try to fight against him with a sword robbed of its power.

Yet if she had the sword, she would have gotten it from Ketura- she would know where Ketura was- and it was possible that Ketura could have been swept into the madness of the invasion-

Ashei did not seem interested in sharing where Ketura might be at that moment. Instead, she broke into a run, holding the Master Sword high in both of her hands. Ganondorf held out his own sword, ready to defend himself as she took her first swing at him.

* * *

Once the last of the Moblins had fallen, Ketura stood still and looked down at them. She wondered why Ganondorf had chosen them for his army; they may have been large and brutish and strong, but they weren't very smart. The four of them accidentally hitting each other repeatedly perhaps did more to ultimately kill them than she did. Still, fresh blood coated the blade of the sword she had lifted from a Lizalfos to use against them, and small splatters of that same blood on her face and front of her clothing, and another small group of people ran to Telma's without impediment or harassment.

She looked behind her to the giant rock in front of the city gate; the flames coming out of the rock had shrunk to about half their original size. Perhaps when the flames were entirely gone, it would be safe to blast the rock into pieces and clear a path. For now, she was relieved that nothing else near the rock had caught on fire, and she turned back to watch the streams of people running to the bar.

Another Moblin followed a group of terrified children, and he shot an arm out in an attempt to grab a young boy. The children ran as fast as their short legs could carry them, screaming in terror, and when the Moblin grabbed hold of his coat's collar the boy cried out "No! Stop it! Let me go!" Ketura watched as it happened, and just after the Moblin had seized the boy she thrust out her hand and shot a jagged bolt of red light. The bolt hit the Moblin right below the chest, sending him flying backwards and releasing his grip on the boy. The boy also stumbled back some, but once he regained his balance he started running again to catch up with the other children.

Ketura ran up to the Moblin she had just hit, who was now getting back on his feet. He had lost hold of his spear after being hit, so he held still and looked around on the ground until he found it a couple of yards away right behind him. He turned around and lumbered over to his weapon, giving Ketura enough time to close the gap between them and plunge her sword into his back, right between his shoulders. The Moblin's cry of pain, and the sounds of her sword tearing flesh and tissue, filled her ears, and more drops of blood shot out from the stab wound onto her neck and collarbone.

As she let the Moblin's body fall to the ground, her breaths turned rapid and shallow, and the hopelessness she felt earlier crept back. An army of one thousand, and she had so far taken on about ten of them … there was no way she could keep it up for however long it took. People would keep running for Telma's to escape, and monsters would come following them. She had been lucky so far to not have gotten a single injury, but she didn't know if that would last. The man who had been attacked by the Lizalfos had been the recipient of her only Red Potion. It wouldn't be long until she was outnumbered, outmatched, exhausted, and wounded.

She looked down a side street, and her stomach clenched up to see a gang of Lizalfos at work consuming human corpses, sinking their teeth into the bodies and ripping up blood-filled chunks of flesh for consumption. Behind them, she saw more people running for their lives as a group of ten Darknuts marched in orderly lines down the street. She waved towards the people and then pointed in the direction of the bar, and once they got onto South Road they followed her directions. The Darknuts stopped in the middle of that street and didn't budge. Hoping that their meals would keep them distracted, Ketura pulled her eyes away from the Lizalfos and looked back up the road towards the square. Another group of Darknuts marched towards her; she counted twenty, and like the others in the side street they came to a halt right in the middle of the thoroughfare.

"Help! Please, help!"

Ketura whipped her head around and found the source of the cry for help, a woman who held onto a man much larger than herself, practically dragging him along as she moved as fast as she could from a side street onto the main road. The man she had with her had blood streaming down the side of his head, and his eyes were half-closed and unfocused. Both of them had a fine coat of dust and dirt on their bodies. Without hesitation Ketura ran to them, threw the man's free arm over her shoulder, and helped the woman move him to Telma's while keeping an eye on the Darknuts.

"Big scary-looking armored things like those, you'd think they'd attack anything in sight like the other monsters are," commented the woman.

"Yeah, you'd think," said Ketura. "What happened to him? Think he'll be okay?"

The woman glance down at the man. "Piece of brick hit him in the head as our house collapsed. He's still alive …."

"Well Telma can help him, and then help you get out of here," said Ketura.

"Wait, aren't you coming? I can't carry him by myself!"

When they were just a few feet from the door of Telma's, they stopped as a _crack_ sounded off, accompanied by a burst of cool gray smoke. When the smoke cleared, Ketura recognized Impa standing with King Daphnes. She watched the two of them, confused and curious.

"I-I don't understand," stammered Daphnes as he looked at Impa with incredulity and gratitude. "You saved me. Why would you?"

"Because there's been enough bloodshed tonight," said Impa.

"Ah yes, and you would rather have me as King?"

"No, you fool!" snapped Impa. "Inside that bar is a woman who will help you leave Castle Town-"

"I cannot leave. I am the King, and I must protect Hyrule."

"You aren't the King any longer. You couldn't even lead your army to defend your castle, so how can you rule a country? My people and I are handling this. Now leave Castle Town, and _never_ return." Impa suddenly looked away from the bar's entrance, towards Ketura and the couple she was with. Daphnes followed Impa's line of vision.

"Ketura? Why are you still here?" Impa asked.

"The- the gate was blocked, and there were Lizalfos and Moblins, and people who needed to escape," explained Ketura. "And now I'm helping these two …." Her eyes flickered over to Daphnes, who looked at her with the bright expression of a person who just made a sudden realization. The woman with her curtsied the best she could without dropping her hold on the unconscious man she held.

"You- you're Ketura Lykos?" asked Daphnes.

She nodded. "Yeah, I am," she answered, not sure why it mattered to him. "Uh, Your Grace," she quickly added.

"He wants you." Daphnes informed her.

Ketura looked down at her feet. "I figured," she said as dread rose up inside of her.

"Who? Who's after you?" the woman asked, looking at Ketura fearfully.

"You should all go _now._ " Impa said urgently.

"I'll make sure they go, Impa," said Ketura.

"Do it. He should never set foot in this city again after tonight." Impa said, pointing at Daphnes. With that, she vanished again in another burst of smoke.

"Who does she think she is, telling me what I can and cannot do?" Daphnes grumbled.

"Honestly, I'm kind of over you Nohansens myself," said Ketura, "but right now the three of you need to go."

Daphnes flinched slightly, taken aback by what Ketura had said. He soon straightened up and approached the woman with Ketura. "What is your name?" he asked.

"I'm Ethelle Gaffin, Your Majesty," she said, "and this is my husband Wallis. He's been injured and I'm trying to get him to safety, and Ketura here has been so kind to help-"

"Well Ethelle, I shall take it from here," said Daphnes. Nodding in understanding, Ketura removed Wallis's limp arm from around her shoulders and gave it to Daphnes, who put it around his.

"It has recently come to my attention, after all, that I do nothing for my people," he added glibly.

"Oh don't say that, Your Majesty, you do plenty! You pray to the Goddesses on our behalf, ensuring that we receive their blessings! And you encourage the work of the Apostles, too!" Ethelle protested.

"It is not enough. I cannot even protect you from danger," said Daphnes sadly. "Please forgive me." He sighed, and then turned to Ketura. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

"Well, you said that Ganondorf wants me," answered Ketura.

"Ganondorf? THE Ganondorf? What?!" Ethelle exclaimed.

"I did, and … are you working with him? Are you on his side?!"

"No! I'm not! I'm going to try and stop him, get him to call off the invasion. He'll listen to me … I think ... it's a long story."

Daphnes nodded slowly. "There is only one way to truly stop Ganondorf," he said grimly.

"I know. I don't think I can, though." Ketura was certain that she would not last in a fight against Ganondorf.

Out on the thoroughfare, she heard the roars of Lizalfos and the agonized screams of people intermixed with the sounds of bones crushing and flesh ripping.

"You must!" protested Daphnes.

"I'll try, all right? But- but the Master Sword's power is gone, and I'm not a great swordsman. I'm not my dad."

"True, you are not your father," he said, "but it appears that the Goddesses have decided that you should inherit his destiny. Even if it is for this one night, be the Hero that Hyrule so desperately needs."

"Fine, but I'm not making any promises," said Ketura. She opened the door into Telma's and gestured inside. "Have a good life, Your Grace – well, not anymore I guess. And Ethelle, I hope your husband's okay, and that the two of you get somewhere safe."

Ethelle smiled and softly said "Thank you."

Daphnes chortled. "No matter what, I am still the King of Hyrule," he said confidently as helped Ethelle carry her husband into the bar. Ketura closed the door behind them, leaned up against it, and found herself on the verge of hyperventilation again. She had to talk him down, that was the only way, there wasn't a chance that she could win a physical fight … but what would she say? He probably wouldn't respond to her asking nicely. After a minute or so of her mind racing, Ketura guessed that there was only one thing she could say to get him to stop the attack. And she hoped it wouldn't come to that one thing.

* * *

Ketura ran as fast as her tired legs could take her towards the city square. Surprisingly, the Darknuts standing in the middle of South Road left her alone. She dashed around dead humans, Moblins, and Lizalfos, saw buildings that had been smashed and reduced to rubble by the giant rocks hurled into the city, and noticed pillars of smoke rising from East Road. All around her she still heard the shouts and cries of townspeople who were not fortunate enough to escape or find shelter, Lizalfos roaring, fires raging, steel clanging against steel, and the slams and _thuds_ of bodies hitting other bodies or the ground. The smells of smoke, burning bodies, blood, vomit, and monsters filled her nostrils.

Once in the square, she was slowed by the litter of bodies on the ground, densely strewn about like fallen autumn leaves on the grass. She lightly stepped around Hylian soldiers, Lizalfos, civilian townspeople, Moblins, a person wearing the dark blue uniform of the Liberators, Gerudo women wearing bright red clothing – and a Gerudo man. Pausing for a moment, crouching down by his body, she recognized Zahrain. His eyes were wide open, staring up into nothingness, and blood trickled out of his opened mouth. His throat bore a giant open gash, that had spilled blood onto his front and now on the ground around him. She frantically looked around through the other bodies, hoping she didn't recognize anyone else. The sight of a blood-soaked woman curled around her baby almost made her want to cry and shout in anger, but instead she swallowed the massive lump in her throat and kept moving.

Her foot soon kicked something: a head. She inspected it and recognized Ashei, only her face was now pale and her eyes were closed and blood still dripped from her neck. A few yards away was a headless body lying on its front, and it wore the armor Ashei usually wore. The body's hand still gripped onto the hilt of the Master Sword. She made her way over to the body, crouched down, and pried the cold stiff fingers off the sword's hilt.

Ashei was supposed to be among the best, Ketura thought, and she was still beaten.

Ketura looked towards Hyrule Castle. Standing in front of the stage Daphnes had previously occupied was Ganondorf, sword in hand as he paced back and forth in front of a group of red-clad Gerudo women who all stood in a circle around another group of people. The Gerudo all held their weapons inward, pointed at the people they encircled. From where she stood, Ketura couldn't tell who was being held captive, but she inched closer and closer, steeling her nerves and thinking that at the very least the Master Sword would be good for show.

"TELL ME!" Ganondorf raged at the captives.

"I told you. She is gone and you will never find her!"

Ketura paused for a split second as she heard Impa's voice. She stood still as she watched Ganondorf let out a cry of anger before reaching into the circle of people and grabbing a young man by his hair. He shoved the young man down to his knees, swiftly swung his sword, and his victim's head came off in one clean strike, flying a foot or two before hitting the ground and rolling away. The body collapsed onto its side.

She held her free hand up to her mouth to muffle her audible gasp.

"Who is next, Impa?" Ganondorf asked.

Ketura started walking again, picking up the pace. Suddenly, killing Ganondorf was the most logical thing to do – or trying to kill him, at least. No matter what, she couldn't allow him to continue what he was doing.

"Or perhaps you feel ready to tell me what I want to know? Eh?" Ganondorf pointed at someone else in the circle, and one of the Gerudo women pushed Luda out of the circle and in front of him. Colin started yelling "No! Leave her alone! Take me instead!" As Luda kneeled and she whimpered in fear, Ganondorf pulled her head back and held his sword to her throat.

"This is your last chance, Impa. Where is Ketura?"

"I'm right here!" Ketura shouted. She watched Ganondorf lower his sword and look right at her. His eyes, burning with passion and fury, made her want to disappear and go somewhere else, but she kept walking and tightened her grip on the Master Sword's hilt. Finally, she stopped when she was a few yards away from him, and everything she thought about saying to him escaped her mind completely.


	41. Forty

**FORTY**

"Where have you been?" Ganondorf inquired as he took a step towards her. Concern flashed across his face, and then his expression hardened.

A pause.

"Well, someone let a whole bunch of monsters into the city and I figured that I'd defend people from them the best I could," said Ketura icily. "None of the blood on me is mine, by the way, in case you were wondering." She glanced over to the people being held captive by the red-clad Gerudo (who she assumed were the Cult of Dragmire): all of the rebels were there, along with a small group of civilians. Most everyone in the circle looked at her, surprised that she made an appearance, while Colin looked desperately towards Luda.

"It is good to know you are not hurt," said Ganondorf. He glanced at the Master Sword, then locked eyes with her again. "That sword is worthless now," he informed her. "It will have no power against me, now that the Earth and Wind Sages are gone. And any sword crafted so poorly as to need constant prayer on its behalf is no sword worth carrying. You may as well cast it aside."

Ketura shook her head. "No. This- what you're doing right now- it needs to stop. People have died. Innocent people! Children!"

"Why should I stop? Why, Ketura? Hundreds of years ago, before even your great-grandmother was born, I was King of Hyrule. Ruling was my right, and it was stolen from me! And now I am taking it back. Why is that so wrong?"

"It's not wrong- wait- but-" Ketura stammered along, trying to string together a coherent rebuttal of what he said. "But is war really the way to do it? At this rate you won't have anyone left to rule."

"I am doing this to bring me, to bring _us_ , closer to the ultimate objective," said Ganondorf as he moved towards her. "It is for the good of Hyrule."

"Don't say that!" Ketura raised the Master Sword and pointed it at him.

Ganondorf stopped, took in the sight of her pointing the sword at him, and laughed.

"You continue to amaze me, Ketura. After everything you and I have done and been through together … after everything I have done for you … and you turn on me? It appears you _have_ started to believe their lies. Don't let them turn you against me." He nodded his head toward the captive rebels. "We share a bond. You know that. That bond is made only stronger now that we both bear pieces of the Triforce. Put the sword down, Ketura."

"No." Ketura said firmly, although her hands started shaking. "I won't. I can't just go along with what you're doing right now. Especially after all your lies and- and-"

"Was I lying? I said I would raise an army to use to overthrow the Nohansen Dynasty, and I did just that. That fool of a King is nowhere to be found!"

She shook her head; that was not what he had led her to believe, and he knew it, even if he now twisted things around for his own purposes.

"Don't just stand there!" Talo shouted. "Stab him!"

"Put the sword down, Ketura," Ganondorf said in response, his tone menacing.

Ketura held the sword's hilt as tightly as she could, and kept a wary eye on him. "Or what? What will you do if I don't?"

"There is no reason for you to take up arms against me," Ganondorf continued. He held his hand in front of the tip of the Master Sword's blade. "None at all. You and I are on the same side. We are allies, and we are partners. Take your place by my side and claim your share of this victory."

"But I was never your ally or your partner. You were just using me, this whole time, and until now I was too stupid to realize it. So- so … if you're still after your 'ultimate objective' or whatever you just called it, figure out a way to get there without me _or_ this." She nodded down towards her hands, indicating the Triforce of Courage.

"Ketura, what are you waiting for? Do something!" yelled Colin.

To her surprise, Ganondorf backed away from Ketura. He turned to Luda, pulled her up to her feet by the back of her collar, and pushed her back into the circle with the other captive rebels. "You there," he said, pointing at Colin, "Come here. I believe earlier you asked me to leave her alone and to be taken in her stead?"

Colin, who now had Luda in his arms, hardened his expression. "I did," he said, his voice firm but cracking with a hint of anxiety. He peeled himself away from Luda and walked forward towards Ganondorf, throwing Ketura an affirming glance as he did.

"No, Colin, come back!" Luda called out to her husband, but it was too late. Ganondorf swiftly thrust his sword into Colin's chest, with a coat of blood covering the blade as it came out his back. Ketura watched, horrorstruck. Luda shrieked in terror. Colin let out a pained grunt as he doubled over, clutching the bloody open wound on his chest, and then he dropped to the ground.

Ketura soon snapped back to her senses, and she lunged at Ganondorf, cutting the Master Sword through the air at a diagonal. Ganondorf turned his head slightly at first, but when he saw her coming he quickly held up his own sword to defend against her attack. He then pushed down, forcing the Master Sword's blade towards the ground as he brought his own around and back up. Ketura took another swing, and then another, each one being parried and deflected, until she swung high with the sword almost level with her head. Instead of swinging back, Ganondorf swiftly kicked her in the stomach, and she fell on the ground and lost hold of her weapon.

The kick knocked the wind out of her, and she gasped for air while a blunt pain in her midsection dominated her senses. She scrambled back up to a crouching position as fast as she could and reached for the Master Sword; however, it had already levitated up and away from her at Ganondorf's direction. With a wide sweeping gesture of his arm, the Master Sword flew away and landed several yards directly behind him.

"I honestly did not want to do that," he said to her, although she heard no remorse in his voice.

Was this really happening, Ketura asked herself as a new surge of anger rose inside of her. Was this a fight, where they were going to try and kill each other? He was standing between her and the Master Sword, though, and since he had trained her to fight he knew her style and weaknesses … still, she thought, it was worth a shot.

She hurled every magical attack she could think of at him with all of her might: bolts and streams and spheres of different colors of light, her spinning disc, Din's Fire, all one after another. Each one was blocked or redirected or dodged, however, even as she tried moving in a semi-circle around him in hopes of finding an opening to exploit. As she felt her magical energy draining, she shot attacks faster and harder until finally only a small wimpy spark came from her trying to ignite Din's Fire again. She threw her hand into her bag while keeping an eye on Ganondorf, and she felt around inside for bottles still full of liquid, yet every bottle inside was empty.

"Out of potion?" Ganondorf asked her wryly. "It's a shame. I did enjoy that demonstration you just gave of the magic you learned from me, which I taught you all as a gesture of good will."

"Shut up," spat Ketura. From the circle of captive rebels, she heard Luda sobbing. Her eyes flickered down to Colin's body, laying face-up in a small pool of blood. Colin had been her father's friend, she thought, and probably would have done anything to help her. Her heart ached, both for him and for Luda. The fury she felt became intermingled with grief.

"I don't want to fight you, Ketura. I want you to come back to me, so that I can give you everything you ever wanted."

Nearby, but out of her sight, Ketura heard terrible screams of agony that lasted for a few seconds. She wanted to look for the source, but she dared not take her eyes off of Ganondorf. Soon, a Gerudo woman carrying a bloody sword ran up to Ganondorf and quickly bowed before him.

"My King, I ask for your understanding and possibly forgiveness," said the Gerudo woman. "I was just forced to kill a civilian man. He took up arms against me, and I defended myself. I know you gave a strict command to not harm any civilians."

"It is all right," said Ganondorf. He glanced towards Ketura, maintaining eye contact with her while his mouth formed a smirk. "In fact, disregard that command. Let the others know that they are now free to kill anyone they come across. And bring a body or two here, for my audience to see."

The Gerudo woman bowed again and ran off. Ketura's mind raced, trying to think of what to do next. Her heart beat fast and hard, her breaths were short, and she shook with anger and apprehension. Things seemed bleak, and she realized that she may have to say the one thing she really didn't want to say, but she saw no alternative. As for her surroundings, she focused on heaps of rubble that were once buildings, dead bodies lying in the square, more pillars of smoke rising into the dark night sky, more shouts and roars and screams in the distance.

"Run, Ketura! Go!" Impa cried desperately.

Ketura took a deep breath. There was an easy way to end it. She had to do it, although she really didn't want to. The things she had wanted to do with her life – attend a university, travel the world, write stories for a living – all flashed through her mind, and then all disappeared into a dark abyss of uncertainty. Maybe there would still be time for those things, maybe she could run just like Impa implored her to do. All she needed to do was turn and go-

"And bring her back," Ganondorf commanded as he pointed to Luda. One of the Cult members grabbed Luda and pushed her out and onto her knees so that she knelt in front of Ganondorf again. Ketura saw Luda's face, splotchy and wet with tears, heavy eyes fixated on Colin who lay nearby.

Ganondorf held the edge of his sword to Luda's neck. Luda let out a small whimper, and closed her eyes.

"No, stop. Stop! Please! I'll do anything you want!" The words came fast out of Ketura's mouth, before she gave herself another chance to doubt and reconsider.

Lowering his sword, Ganondorf looked at her. "Anything?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Anything. End the attack, let her live, let everyone live, and I'm all yours. Forever, if you want."

Another pause. It only lasted a few seconds, but to Ketura it felt much longer than that. She felt her heart beat in her stomach, and she mentally braced herself for any answer he would give.

"Very well." Ganondorf dropped his sword and raised his arm up, shooting a stream of white light into the sky. Once the stream was a few hundred feet into the air, it exploded, sending bursts of light flying in every direction and sounding off with a small _boom._ A moment after the explosion, the city became quieter. Less people screamed. A fire roared somewhere near South Road.

"I assume the castle has dungeons," said Ganondorf as he pulled Luda to her feet and shoved her back in with the other captives. "Find them, and put this group in them. Leave the Gerudo women here for the time being."

She watched as the Cult of Dragmire pushed and prodded the rebels towards Hyrule Castle, with the exception of Telma's twin sisters and another Gerudo woman. Impa looked back towards Ketura, her face expressing guilt and uncertainty. Talo struggled against the woman who had a hold on him, only to be backhanded across the face in retaliation before his march towards imprisonment resumed. Meanwhile, Ganondorf moved to stand in front of Nabira, Levali, and the third Gerudo woman, who each had their arms restrained by Cult members.

"What about us, then?" asked Levali angrily. "Are you just going to kill us like you did our brother?"

"No, I would never do something like that to one of my own," said Ganondorf.

"But you did! You killed him, I saw it!" Nabira yelled, her voice high.

"There is no room in our tribe for two men … however, I am offering you three a second chance. Our people will return to their former status and glory, I promise you. None of you have to spend your lives in prison. Pledge your loyalty to me."

Levali spat at Ganondorf. "I would rather die in prison," she said icily.

"Me too," echoed Nabira.

The third Gerudo woman, who had so far kept her head down, sighed and said "I pledge loyalty to you, my King."

"Faruu, what are you thinking?!" Levali looked flabbergasted.

"I found out that I'm going to have a baby," explained Faruu, "and I don't want to raise her in prison."

"You have made a wise decision," Ganondorf told Faruu. He snapped his fingers, and the woman who had a hold on Faruu released her. Faruu dropped to the ground, prostrating before him, while Nabira and Levali were dragged towards Hyrule Castle. Both twins shouted out curse words and derogatory names to Ganondorf as they went.

As Ganondorf and Faruu exchanged vows of loyalty and service, Ketura gazed out at Castle Town again. The city was still and quiet, or at least more than it had been. She noticed a handful of townspeople moving cautiously through the square, on the lookout for anyone who might attack them or scanning the corpses at their feet. One man let out an anguished cry as he dropped to his knees and pulled a woman's body into his arms.

Maybe she could have done it sooner, she thought. Maybe she should have just gone with him before the invasion, and that might have inspired him to leave the townspeople alone and just focus on the army and Daphnes. Still, she questioned if she had made the right choice, or if there was anything else she could have done. She wondered what her father would think, if he would approve, if he would want her to keep fighting until her last breath, or if he would want her to save herself and run. She thought of the rebels: Impa, who had wanted her to run and hide; Nabira and Levali, who had lost both their brother and their freedom; Luda, who would be mourning Colin in a dark lonely prison cell; and Talo, who was probably the last survivor of his group of childhood friends. Talo had a brother, she remembered, and she didn't know where he was or if he even survived the night. Finally, she thought of Telma. Had Telma fled through the tunnels? Or was she still at the bar, waiting for siblings and friends and comrades who were never coming back?

What was going to happen next, she wondered as she gazed across the square at a heap of stones and rubble that had once been a restaurant. The wind picked up for a few seconds, blowing a chill across her face and ruffling her hair. For all intents and purposes, her life as she knew it was most likely over. She didn't know what was going to come next, and that terrified her. She tried to imagine where she could possibly be in a week, in a month, in a year, in a decade – nothing, almost as if time would stop and everything would cease to exist after that night. Maybe there would be a prison cell for her as well, and in some sadistic twist of fate it would be the one that Link occupied for fourteen years.

Ganondorf put an arm around her shoulder and guided her towards Hyrule Castle. "Grief is stressful, I understand," he said as they entered the castle grounds. "Sometimes emotions can run so intense that you say and do things you usually would not. I will not hold anything against you, none of the cruel things you said to me or the fact that you attacked me."

Ketura said nothing. She felt numb, and she looked straight ahead, not focused on anything in particular. Throughout the grounds, Gerudo warriors and Darknuts stood guard, and Lizalfos helped themselves to the remains of Hylian soldiers.

"This is a new chapter, a new start. Now that I am King, I will make Hyrule greater than it has ever been."

Inside the main hall of Hyrule Castle, Ketura found another scene of dead Hylian soldiers and Darknuts standing in a circle around a large group of people. The captives ranged from members of the court in ornate suits and gowns, to servants and maids in plain uniforms. All of them held onto friends and loved ones while looking at the Darknuts in fear.

With a crooked grin on his face, Ganondorf let go of Ketura and advanced in front of her. He used both hands to shoot a massive red-and-purple stream of energy at the statue of the Hero of Time. The stream blasted the top half of the statue clean off, so that it hit the floor and smashed into smaller pieces.

He then approached the group surrounded by Darknuts. "I won!" he announced triumphantly, punctuating the statement with a short laugh. The group turned to him, gasping and letting out yelps of horror. "Hyrule is mine! Your precious King is nowhere to be found, your army is defeated, and your valiant Hero is dead. No one can stand against me now. No one will stand against me ever again, and those who try will meet an unpleasant end. For my first act as King, I shall spare all of your lives and let you depart from the castle grounds peacefully."

The Darknuts parted, and the people surrounded by them hastily ran for the exit; some of them shot contemptuous looks at Ganondorf, while others eyed Ketura curiously. She hoped that someone running out would grab her and take her with them.

Once the last of the former captives had cleared out, Ganondorf turned to address the Darknuts. "Search the castle and look for anyone else who is hiding. Make sure they leave as well." The Darknuts then formed a single-file line and marched up the stairs to the second level above the main hall.

Ganondorf then walked up and down the length of the hall, taking everything in, from the Triforce mosaic on the ground in front of the statue to the plush red carpets to the blue banners hanging from the ceiling to the lion statues atop the stairs' banisters. Ketura watched him, noticing the pure delight and self-satisfaction he exuded. If not tonight then later, she decided. There would be time later to hatch a plan to escape or somehow oust him. For now, she could probably handle whatever he had planned for her next. Maybe it would eventually be her destiny to fill the role of Hero … just not that night, with her drained magical energy and no way of knowing how to restore power to the Master Sword. She didn't even know what he planned to do with the Master Sword. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Sleeping for days sounded good, but she didn't know if that could happen for her.

Turning back to the front of the hall, Ganondorf's eyes found Ketura, and he approached her. His expression softened somewhat.

"You look troubled," said Ganondorf. "Don't be. This castle is your home now. You are free to any part of it … perhaps there is even a library somewhere." He placed a hand on the back of her head, lightly stroking her hair.

"That sounds nice," said Ketura compliantly. A chill jolted down her spine. She wished he would stop touching her.

"Plentiful good food every day, a warm place to sleep, wealth beyond measure. All yours, for the rest of your life."

"Tha- that sounds great. Uh … thank you." Ketura guessed that was what he wanted to hear.

"It is your reward," said Ganondorf plainly. "I really, truly, could not have accomplished this without you."

"Of course, yeah," Ketura answered. She bowed her head slightly, just so she didn't have to look him in the eye for a bit. Her skin crawled, and her chest tensed up when he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She felt the urge to push herself free and run, thinking that maybe she wouldn't be able to deal with living in Hyrule Castle after all.

Both of his hands moved to cradle her face, tilting it back up so that their eyes met. He then placed his thumbs directly over her eyes, forcing them shut.

"What are you doing?" she asked. At first she didn't feel anything but the pressure of his thumbs pushing on her eyelids. The top half of her face soon felt hot, then cold, then hot again, then prickly, then back to normal. When Ganondorf pulled his hands away, a puzzled Ketura opened her eyes and looked up at him, seeing the look of approval on his face.

"Much better," he murmured.

"What was that?" she asked again.

"You're covered in blood and sweat. Go clean yourself," said Ganondorf. "And then get some rest. I shall see you in the morning." He pointed to the stairs.

Ketura took slow, careful steps up the staircase to the second level, and then turned right to go down a hallway. She glanced back to him every few seconds until he was out of sight, observing that he remained in place and was watching her go in turn. What did he mean by "much better," she thought worriedly. Did he make her prettier? Uglier? Change her nose? Give her ears pointed tips? She grabbed her braid and held it up in view to see that her hair was the same shade of brown, and then ran her fingers over the tips of her ears to feel that they were still round and not pointy.

The first room on the left in the hall was the ladies' washroom, and she bolted in and headed straight for the mirror over the sink. Smudges of dirt and blood decorated her face, and she turned on the faucet to get the water running. Her face looked the same to her as far as she could tell: same shape, same size, same nose, and she rinsed off as much of the blood and grime on her face as she could. Everything felt the same to her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary … until she noticed her eyes. She could barely believe what she saw; she closed them for a few seconds and opened them again, hoping maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Maybe it was because she was tired an so much had just happened, she thought. After a few minutes of studying her reflection, she accepted that what she saw was real. Her eyes had been blue – the same blue as Link's, that allowed people to easily identify her as his daughter and a member of her bloodline that produced Hyrule's Heroes – but now that blue was gone, replaced by a deep brown.


	42. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

Arianne woke up from an uneasy sleep and shifted her body around on the hard mattress to hopefully find a more comfortable position. When she realized where she was – a sparsely-furnished bedroom in a modest house rather than her own bedchamber at her own estate – she sighed. The events of the last three days had not been a dream; and at the same time, she was glad they weren't a dream.

She sat up and looked across the tiny room at a bearded man in a rocking chair, fully leaned back into the seat with his eyes closed, and a small bundle of blankets resting in his arms. Her eyes first found the bundle, and she smiled. Right then, she wanted that bundle more than she wanted her own bed and a strong glass of wine. However, when she looked up at the man in the rocking chair, her expression soured.

"Daphnes." Arianne said sharply.

He awoke with a start, shooting into an upright position in the chair. "Arianne, you're awake," he said groggily, and then he looked to the window, where sunlight peeked through the thin curtains. "Good morning," he added, punctuating his sentence with a yawn.

"Good morning to you as well," said Arianne, "now if you would be so kind?" She held her arms out and nodded to the bundle in his arms.

"Of course." Daphnes rose to his feet and lightly tread over to the bed, where he handed the little bundle to Arianne. She smiled softly as she looked down to see the face of a baby.

"Hello little one," she cooed. Despite how tired and irritable she felt, her heart swelled full of love as she gazed upon her son's face.

"Marnie arrived last night, and I can have her prepare breakfast for us," said Daphnes.

"That will do well," said Arianne absentmindedly. Her mind, though, was preoccupied with an entirely different matter.

"And perhaps … we can decide where to go next. It is not wise to stay in one place for too long."

"I know that. I was just thinking about where Lukas and I would go. Perhaps abroad would be safest," said Arianne, hoping that Daphnes would pick up the hint that she did not want him to join her.

"Arianne, I understand your desire to leave Hyrule, but if you do so then you and your son will lose the blessing –"

"I don't care about that." Arianne interrupted as she held her son closer. "You told me yourself, that Lukas is not safe right now. I have to do everything I can to keep him safe, blessing or not."

"Then let me help. Many have fled Castle Town who are still loyal to our family, members of the army among them. I want to protect you and Lukas from him," Daphnes implored her.

"You just lost your kingdom. You couldn't protect it, so what makes you think you can protect my son?" Arianne snapped.

An uneasy silence filled the room for a moment.

"You … you don't care for me all that much, do you, Arianne?" Daphnes asked.

"If you want to know the truth, then no. I've never liked you. I could never stand how self-righteous you are, and for the longest time I thought _you_ were the one who corrupted my sister with all your talk about how the Goddesses want this and that and you were the only one who could deliver their will-"

"The Goddesses _have_ spoken to me, though," Daphnes cut her off.

"Yes, just keep telling people that. Although perhaps you can tell me: why did the Goddesses allow Ganondorf to come to Castle Town, drive us from our homes, and usurp the throne? Think of how many suffered and died that night."

"I do not know. Their ways are mysterious, but I have faith that they will see us through this adversity." Daphnes paused. "Perhaps they sent those Moblins to ransack your estate and force you to flee and come here to teach you a lesson in humility, so that you might forsake the material and focus more on the spiritual."

Arianne rolled her eyes. "Faith certainly didn't help Zelda any," she said glibly. "She was always so pious growing up, she took everything so seriously. I never saw anyone more devoted to Hyrule or the Goddesses. And look where that got her …. I can't believe you would presume to use our family name when you are not one of us."

"I am in my heart," said Daphnes; he turned downcast upon hearing Zelda's name.

With a scoff, Arianne turned her attention back to baby Lukas. For the first time, she noticed that the little boy had his father's nose and his aunt's pale blue eyes. Two people that were now gone and he would never meet, living on through him. Arianne had known from a young age that she would not inherit the throne, being the second-born child, but the reality suddenly hit her: she was next in line. The crown was rightfully hers. But she still didn't want to rule. Those from the Peoples' Liberation Movement were onto something, she thought, and she wondered what had become of them. Yet … who ruled and who didn't was inconsequential to her, because unless she could find a safe place for her son then it ultimately did not matter.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked Daphnes.

"Hmm?"

"A plan? To retake Hyrule?"

Daphnes stroked his beard as he pondered her question. "Well, let us assemble all those still loyal to us in Hyrule. Rally them and raise an army, larger and mightier than anything Ganondorf could ever imagine. That would be a big help to us."

"You don't say," said Arianne sarcastically.

"The Master Sword has lost its divine power, which means that the Earth and Wind Sages are dead ... new Sages must be appointed to their respective Temples," Daphnes continued, talking as if he was making up a to-do list.

Arianne nodded along. She thought of a snappy comment about how he was going to lock two more people up underground in those cold Temples so they too could spend their lives in isolation, but she kept it to herself.

"All right, an army and the Master Sword," she said instead. "I guess you'll be the one to wield the sword against Ganondorf? Do you even know where it is?"

"No," said Daphnes shortly. "Before I escaped Castle Town, I met a girl. Ketura Lykos. Link's child. She had inherited the Triforce of Courage after her father's passing, and because of that Ganondorf was after her."

A pit formed in Arianne's stomach. "Well, do you know what happened to her?" She recalled meeting Link once, the night Bulbins attacked Castle Town. During the attack, Link had gone out to fight and she remained cooped up in Telma's flat with the barmaid, Impa the Sheikah woman, and another girl. That girl must have been Ketura; her eyes were the same blue as Link's.

"I don't. The last I saw her she was on her way to Hyrule Castle to confront him."

"Well she obviously failed to vanquish him. With any luck she escaped," commented Arianne, hoping that Ketura indeed did escape.

"And if she did, he will be looking for her," added Daphnes.

"We need to find her before he does. And then we can help her go somewhere else, or if she wants to finish Ganondorf we could help her with that."

"I believe she has now been chosen by the Goddesses to save Hyrule from the evil that is Ganondorf," said Daphnes.

"Why, because she has the Triforce of Courage? That doesn't mean she's going to become some paragon of valor and heroism. Just like the Triforce of Wisdom doesn't ensure that someone always makes the best decisions." Arianne countered. She glanced down at the top of Lukas's head.

"Ketura is not the Hero of our era, but it is clear that the Goddesses recognize something in her that will grow and lead her to rise to the occasion," said Daphnes.

" _Or_ it passed to her because after her father she's the last of their bloodline, and beyond that she's just a regular person like any other peasant?"

"A regular person would have fled the city at the first sign of trouble. A regular person would have not stayed behind to fight. A regular person would not face Ganondorf … I don't expect Ketura Lykos to be a great Hero. I only hope that she will do what she can."

Arianne looked at him warily, thought about everything he said, and thought about what she wanted to do next. She still wanted to take Lukas out of Hyrule; even then, she wondered if Ganondorf would still be able to find them abroad. The two of them would have to keep moving, never staying anywhere longer than a few days. Lukas would not have a chance at a normal childhood or a normal life.

The next few minutes passed in silence.

"I want Lukas to have a normal life – well, as normal as possible, given the circumstances," she said. "That can't happen if I take him and run. Staying and fighting back … it would be hard, and very dangerous, but if we win then it will all be worth it."

Daphnes nodded. "It will definitely be worth it."

"You focus on rallying support and raising an army, and I will look for Ketura Lykos. With my wealth and contacts I should be able quickly survey every teenage girl in Hyrule with blue eyes and find her."

"Very well," said Daphnes. "Will you be keeping Lukas with you as you search for Ketura?"

"Of course. I am his mother!"

"Hmm … I must say that I question the wisdom of two holders of the Triforce being together in one place, should that ever happen."

Arianne snorted. "Well I don't think Lukas will have any problems with that, will you my little one?" She looked back down at her son and with one hand loosened the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him. Lukas wriggled a hand free and held it idly in the air, and Arianne caught a glimpse of the Triforce crest on the back of it.

 **~ TO BE CONTINUED~**

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi everyone! Part 2 will be coming out in a couple of months. Otherwise, I hope you have a happy holiday season!


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